


Making The Wrongs Right

by kittyface27



Series: In Denial About Marineford [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace Lives, Ace feels guilty, Adventure, Angst, Cannon Divergent, Family, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Good things happen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marco/Ace - Freeform, Mild Sexual Content, Post-Time Skip, Post-Whole Cake Island, Resurrection, Revenge, Romance, Sad Ace - Freeform, Shirohige Kaizoku-dan | Whitebeard Pirates, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate Lives, Swearing, The Whole world, gay relationship, marineford mentions, people come back alive but aren't zombies, romance but not the main focus, takes place during wano arc, this will make you happy, what i want to happen but know won't, yonko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 61,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23354242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyface27/pseuds/kittyface27
Summary: After millions of people all over the world are mysteriously brought back to life, the Whitebeard pirates set out to reconstruct their family and crew, restore their status and reputation, and make the wrongs that have been done to them right. Fix-it fanfiction. Marco and Ace centirc. M for mild sexual content and swearing.
Relationships: Fuschichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Whitebeard Pirates, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Portgas D. Ace, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates
Series: In Denial About Marineford [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683358
Comments: 96
Kudos: 473
Collections: Pyro's Faves





	1. Waking Up Confused

**Another fic of me being in denial about the outcome of Marineford. I've always wanted to do a fix-it story, but didn't want to do time travel since it isn't too original to me. This has strong Marco/Ace but is not the main focus of the story. This is what I want to happen but know won't. It's shorter, only 58,000 words (short for me) so the chapters are shorter as well. I think it will be a satisfying story for most people.**

**Rated M for very brief and mild sexual content and lots of swear words. Heavy angst in the beginning for obvious reasons. The POV alternates between Marco and Ace. Enjoy~**

* * *

The dark space smelled stale and like rotting meat. It was claustrophobic to anyone alive, unable to get out even if they tried and desperately wanted to. It was pitch black inside, with barely any room to move. The darkness made it so no one could tell if their eyes were open or closed, or if they were dead and trapped in endless darkness, maybe never being able to come out.

The smell of rotting flesh would have made anyone vomit and try to plug their nose, though it was so strong that it would probably be able to be tasted in the air. The first movement of anything in the coffin was the twitch of fingers, then a small shift to the side, only to be unable to move very much due to the plush surface on either side.

The movements of the body were gradual, before a gasp and many coughs were made, as the body in the coffin moved around, which had never happened before. Ace looked around frantically, but could not tell where he was, couldn't figure out if his eyes were closed or not. He did the only thing he could do and lit his finger on fire, just enough to see where he was.

He realized quickly where he was. In a coffin, which smelled of rotting flesh even though he was perfectly whole when he looked at his body, barely able to raise his head at all. He doused the flame, not wanting to lose more oxygen in the small space.

Memories flooded back, of the pain of being burned by magma, and having it thrust through his chest. Panic set in, and he began to breathe quickly, too quickly. His heart began to beat rapidly in his chest, he felt dizzy, and was more terrified than he'd been in a long time. Well, at least scared for himself. His dying moments had been spent worrying and fearful about his family and Luffy.

He began to panic even more at the thought of his little brother. He had no idea what had happened to him. Had he made it out alive? If he didn't, then Ace deserved to die. Permanently. He didn't know how long it had been, but his body was perfectly intact. Surely, if he was in there for a long time his body would be a mess. But there was the smell.

Having no idea what was going on made the panic attack worse, and he heard loud thuds above him, and thought that Akainu was coming to put him down forever, digging into the ground that had to be packed above his coffin. But, it wasn't magma that was thrust through the top of the coffin, but a huge hand, which wrapped around him easily and pulled him out into the clean air. He blinked at the pain of the brightness as his eyes adjusted, unable to see what had happened or who had grabbed him.

His breathing slowed down as he realized he wasn't being attacked, before he was enveloped in warmth, and looked up to see his father hugging him. Ace hugged him back, knowing that whatever had happened to him, had happened to Whitebeard, too. And he couldn't be happier. They were both covered in dirt, having been dragged or dug through compact earth, making both of them filthy.

When Whitebeard pulled away, Ace saw the plethora of scars and burns across Whitebeard's chest and even face. He was intact, but covered in the burns like the one Ace had covering his back and chest. His tattoo had to be ruined from that attack. It made him immensely sad.

"It sure is nice that my cape and bisento are here," Whitebeard said with a laugh, one that Ace had missed during the months he'd been chasing Teach. Ace looked at the two headstones, both very big. Ace's hat and beaded necklace were there, along with his dagger. He had no idea how anyone had gotten the beads back together after they were dropped all over the ground in Marineford.

And how did they get his hat that he had lost before being taken to Impel Down? He was just glad they were there, and put the familiar objects on, feeling better with his things, especially the silly hat Luffy had given him. After all, he and Sabo had had hats, so Ace needed one as well.

Luffy. He had to find out what happened to Luffy. And the Whitebeards after the war. "Ace. You don't have to thank anyone for loving you," Whitebeard suddenly said, breaking the silence. Ace's face turned red in embarrassment. He had had to thank everyone before he died. "Your existence is not a sin. The marines killed you once, that's enough to negate any bad blood you think you have. And do not blame yourself for being in that war, of us coming to save you.

"We would have done it for any of us," the captain said emphatically. Ace nodded, wiping his eyes before tears came. "I am sorry I was unable to take out Akainu or Teach before I died. I just hope our family made it out. Those stubborn idiots refused to leave me when I ordered them to. Eventually, they left, crying. It was painful to see."

Ace nodded, feeling bad that his brothers had lost him _and_ Pops. "Pops, we were dead. Why are we here?" Ace asked in disbelief and awe, still not believing he was alive again. Breathing again despite the horrible injury he was given.

"No idea," Whitebeard said, putting on his captain's coat and taking his intact bisento into his hand. "I'm quite irate that my wounds healed but I still have this uneven mustache. Why not my mustache? It must look ridiculous."

Ace laughed, but it did look ridiculous. "Do you think other people came back to life, too?"

"One way to find out, though I have no idea what island this is on," Whitebeard replied honestly. "It has a nice view, I like the location of our tombstones." He said it all so lightly that Ace was having trouble understanding how he could be so happy after everything that had happened. They'd both died, painful deaths. He could tell Pops had been in a lot of pain by the scars and burns. All in front of their family.

"Should we look for a town to get information?" Ace suggested. Whitebeard nodded, but first needed to see something. He punched that air, and it splintered, only releasing a small shock. He grinned, and Ace lit himself on fire.

"Sure is nice to have our powers, still," Ace commented. He grinned, being able to find his family again. But, first and foremost, he had to know what had happened to Luffy. Maybe Whitebeard knew!

He looked at him with a desperate look, but Whitebeard cut him off, knowing what he was going to ask. "Your brother made it out, but was in critical condition. I don't know of his fate after that. I am sorry," the man said sincerely. "He sure was a cheeky brat. Even yelled at me!" and Pops laughed. "Only reason I didn't squash the brat was because he was your brother."

Ace chuckled. Luffy seemed to win over everyone he met that _wasn't_ a marine. "You couldn't squash him anyway, he's made of rubber."

Whitebeard grinned. "I suppose that's true. Why don't we go find out what has happened to our loved ones?"

Ace nodded and they hurried to the place they felt people at with Whitebeard's haki. As they got closer, they heard screaming and crying, and started running, Ace having to sprint to keep up with his father's much, much longer legs. But, he was fast, when made of fire, so he could keep up just fine. When they got to the little town, people were either terrified or crying with smiles.

There were dirty people everywhere, walking around in shock, or hugging others. Ace and Whitebeard assumed that whatever had happened to them, happened to everyone else who was dead, at least on this island. Which neither knew the name of.

A few were shouting about zombies, but many didn't care about their words as they rejoiced in being reunited with their loved ones. Some people were looking around, probably looking for their own friend or loved one.

Maybe it only worked on certain people? Hopefully there was a reason they would know why everything happened, and how long it would last. Ace didn't want to die again. Once was already too much. No one paid much attention to the giant man, and Ace was trying to find someone who wasn't emotional to ask questions.

Ace looked around before catching sight of some wanted posters on the wall of the building they were standing next to. His jaw dropped before he grinned, tears in his eyes. He ripped the paper off the wall and saw the new image of his brother, clearly older, though looking like a child in some way, somehow.

What really caught his eye was the new bounty. In however long they were dead, it had gone from the last time he saw it, 100,000,000, to 1,500,000,000 berries! That was a billion berries more than Ace's last bounty. "Pops! Look at my brother's bounty!" Ace shouted, showing the piece of paper to Whitebeard.

"Wow, that brat got stronger in however long we were out. What does it say at the bottom? Sometimes they had descriptions of what they did to earn their bounties. At least, huge ones." Ace looked at the page and read aloud that Luffy had gone against Big Mom and survived, taking out her most powerful son and evading the entire crew.

Ace beamed. "My brother is so strong, but I'm sure I can still beat him!" Ace shouted. It would wound his pride if Luffy was much stronger than he was now. Whitebeard seemed more in shock about Luffy and his crew going against his fellow yonko (if he still counted as one) and surviving.

Whitebeard brought Ace's attention back to their circumstances and the two found someone who seemed pretty calm, and headed towards her. She was watching everything with a shocked expression, but didn't seem fearful, at least on the outside. She might be freaking out and just not showing it.

"Excuse me, miss. We sorta just woke up, can you tell us some things?" Ace asked politely. Everyone had to know about who had been buried on their island, and she looked up at Whitebeard's imposing figure, even with the hundreds of wounds that had healed over all over his chest and face. She didn't seem surprised to see them.

The woman asked what the two wanted to know. First, they asked how long it'd been since the war. Neither was surprised that it had been a couple years. What made them both so angry was hearing about what had happened to their crew after Whitebeard's passing. It hadn't gone smoothly. Not one bit. And now they were in hiding. How would they find them? At least they got away. But, it hurt the twos' hearts that many of the members of the crew had left.

Where was Marco, who had to be the captain now, which he'd never wanted to be? He'd always been in denial about having to step up when Pops died. He'd probably be overjoyed to not be captain anymore. That place was for Pops.

The captain asked what had happened to their protected islands, and was glad to hear they were under protection still, but not under Shanks'. Big Mom had taken over Fishman Island (which Luffy had claimed as his own and spit in Big Mom's face, apparently), and Teach had ravaged the rest of their islands as a new yonko with Whitebeard's power.

Whitebeard didn't let his fury show, but his anger was endless. He would focus first and foremost on getting his family back together. They'd handle the traitor afterwards. And now that Whitebeard had his ability back, hopefully that meant that Teach had lost it. Ace didn't know about how Whitebeard had gotten his power taken away since he'd died before that happened.

After getting a lot of helpful information from the woman, Ace sat on a bench in the middle of the city while Whitebeard stood, unable to sit on such a tiny surface. "Pops, how do we get everyone back together if they're in hiding? How do we leave the island? Marco and everyone might not know about this if it only happened to this island."

"We'll have to take a ship, but it would need to be big enough to hold me. I don't want to make a statement on this island that I am alive again by using my ability. I don't want to hurt the citizens. A marine base would be great, but we don't exactly know where we are on a map or the nearest marine base."

Whitebeard was standing a little behind Ace, and Ace had a feeling he was looking at his back. The Whitebeard tattoo was almost completely ruined by a horrific burn scar that would always be there. "Son, I'm sorry we didn't rescue you successfully," the man said in sincere sadness and shame. Ace looked down at his feet, avoiding looking at the scar as best as he could. He didn't want to see it. He needed a shirt.

"It's my fault. I should have kept running. Should have done what everyone told me to. Because of my stubbornness, I not only died, but I almost got Luffy killed," Ace replied with shame in his voice as well. Whitebeard pat his back gently. None of their scars hurt, thankfully. ACe knew how painful it must have been for Pops to lose Thatch and then be unable to successfully save another son. All in the span of a few months. It was tragic, and made Ace feel even guiltier.

Whitebeard looked forward, and said, "Everyone makes mistakes. Like ever having Teach on our crew."

"Pops, do you think Thatch came back?" Ace asked quietly, though he felt he knew the answer, which Whitebeard confirmed. That Thatch had been cremated, and probably wouldn't be coming back like they did. It pained both of them. Thatch had been close with Ace. Not as close to Ace as Marco was, for obvious reasons, but it had still been hard in Impel Down when he knew he had failed at avenging his close brother.

Ace felt immensely sad that Marco had lost his best friend, father and lover all in the span of a few months. Ace felt guilt for it. Immense guilt. He just should have stayed, but that would have meant he couldn't help out Luffy in Alabasta, or stopped Teach from taking _Luffy_ in to become a warlord instead of Ace. The whole situation was regrettable, and Ace wished it had ended in a different way. "Do you think Marco hates me?" Ace questioned quietly.

Whitebeard was surprised with it. "Why on earth would you think Marco hates you? He loves you," the man said. But, he had a feeling he knew what Ace was feeling and why he was thinking such sad thoughts.

"I didn't listen to him when he told me not to go, and then I didn't run and let you save me. Then, I got you killed. Why wouldn't he hate me?" Ace asked, truly thinking that Marco despised him now. Whitebeard and the others already knew Ace had very low self-esteem and self-worth. Everything that had happened two years ago just made him even more messed up.

The captain looked up at the sky, trying to think of how to word it. "Marco doesn't hate easily. Even if he did hate you at some point, it's been two years and Marco doesn't dwell on negative feelings for a long time. When we reunite, he will be very happy to see us. Overjoyed, if he ever felt any hate, it would be gone in an instant. Besides if it was directed at Teach or Akainu."

Ace nodded, knowing he was right but still feeling like trash about what had happened. Especially that at one point in the war, he had been happy. "I'm messed up in the head. When everyone came to save me, I… I was happy. That people cared, y'know? I even cried about it. So did Gramps," the young man confessed.

"Anyone would be happy to learn their family cares about them," the captain said sagely.

"Not when they're going to die in a stupid war cause I was _weak!"_ Ace protested. Whitebeard walked in front of him and made eye contact with him and looked very serious. Ace wondered if he was in trouble for yelling, but Pops' face softened ever slightly and Ace knew he wouldn't scold him for being upset and feeling hurt.

"You did not ask for us to save you. I have no doubt you would rather die than see your family get hurt. But it was our choice, and it was an obvious one. We were not going to let one of our own be publicly executed. It wasn't an option, Ace. We would have done it for anyone," the former yonko said in a serious voice, trying to drill the words into Ace's mind. The reanimated young man looked away and didn't reply.

He accidentally looked down at his scar and started having another panic attack, which Whitebeard helped him through. "Why don't we go and try to find you a shirt?" he offered kindly. Ace was humiliated. His father wasn't showing anything like that. He wasn't showing that the burns and scars brought back bad memories.

The young man felt ridiculous. He was supposed to be a strong man, a commander on their crew, yet he had panic attacks about a stupid burn? Even if the burn had been what killed him, he should be over it. It had been two years.

Though, he only just woke up and it felt like the war was literally only hours behind him. Same for Pops, probably. They had no money, so resorted to asking people for any shirts they had. Seeing that both men were heavily injured, they didn't think they could find a shirt big enough for the captain, but he just laughed and told them it was only for Ace.

He had a dark red shirt, now. It covered the horrible burn scar. When the two left the little town to find the port they were directed to, Ace spoke up again. "I'm sorry that I got the tattoo ruined," he said in an ashamed voice. Whitebeard sighed, though he shouldn't be surprised Ace had reverted back to how he was before he grew used to the Whitebeards and their care for him.

It was like he was back at square one, back to feeling he was worth nothing, and that everything bad happened because they had a devil on their crew. Well, the child of a devil, according to Ace. Marco had been the one to convince him, or at least _halfway_ convince him, that Thatch didn't die because of who his father was. But, Ace still knew it was his fault because Teach had been in his division.

The commanders had argued with him that it was their fault for not noticing soon enough, and Pops took blame for not seeing his true colors until it was much too late. Yet still, Ace fully blamed himself. It infuriated much of the crew.

When they reached the port, only little fishing boats were docked. Nothing nearly big enough for Whitebeard, and the island was too small to have enough skilled people or supplies to build a ship the size they'd need. "Do you think Marco would hear about this? Or any of the left over pirates?" Ace asked, sitting down on the dock, moping about a lot of things.

Whitebeard sat next to him, obviously feeling bad for his son. The war had done a lot to him. Whitebeard would not be surprised if the panic attacks still came even when the burn was covered. Ace looked strange in a shirt honestly. When they first kidnapped him, as he worded it, he had an open shirt. Now his torso was completely hidden.

He almost laughed when he thought of how disappointed Marco would be about the change. "If it happens to other islands, perhaps. We'll just have to give a signal that we're back. It became a little harder when Teach had somehow taken my power, so using it wouldn't alert anyone that it was _me_ causing an earthquake. I don't know how he did it. They thought I'd died standing. I did, but could still hear a bit about what Teach was doing. I died the moment my fruit was taken."

"That asshole! I want to kill him for everything he'd done." Ace sighed, not wanting to think about it anymore and went back to the previous subject. "Marco's smart, though. Maybe he'll hear of something, or it'll be in the newspaper that a bunch of people came back to life on the island we were buried on. Marco could always fly here and wait with us until one of our ships comes." They both felt sad when they remembered the Moby Dick had been burned to ash during the war. It had been a heavy hit to Whitebeard and the oldest pirates' hearts, but at the time he had more important things to do than wallow about his beloved ship dying in such a way. It hurt Ace, but he couldn't imagine for those who had been on that ship for decades.

"Well, there's always the chance that Haruta would hear the marine transmissions. We don't know where they are hidden at the moment, so we can't find them even if we had our own ship. He just has to make a lot of ruckass and summon the marines. But, I don't wish to hurt this island."

Ace nodded in agreement, not wanting to hurt the island either. There had to be something they could do. Hopefully, there was still intelligence in the current crew. They knew they had split up and gone into hiding, but were the commanders still all together? Could they make contact with one another? Ace and his Pops hoped so, or they were stranded for a while.

* * *

**Next chapter will be told from the POV of Marco. Thanks for reading!**

****


	2. The Other Side

####  [Dsm_Y_LFM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dsm_Y_LFM/pseuds/Dsm_Y_LFM)

**Dsm_Y_LFM: Thank you! I hope it lives up to your expectations.**

**Dandosha: Thanks! I'm glad it seems original. I really didn't want to do the time loop or time travel for my first fix-it story.**

**MarcoAceLove: Ace has lots of angst. Poor baby. And poor Thatch. :( I love him. I'm glad you like it so far.**

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: Thanks for another comment! I think a lot of people are in denial. How could Oda kill Ace but not any of the villans?! Damn you Oda.**

**Lerya: Thank you! I'm so happy everyone is excited.**

**chickie434: Then I named this series correctly lol. I'll probably have more in denial fics some time.**

* * *

**Wow so many comments! Thank you! Working on another story right now (big surprise). My class might just be easier online now, so I'm happy about that. Enjoy~**

* * *

"Stay calm," Marco said to the citizens of Pops' home island as they were hiding in the small hospital as former dead people knocked on the locked door, begging to see their families again, and saying they weren't zombies.

"I wanna see mama!" a child's voice shouted from outside. That made Marco do something. He may not be a commander anymore, or under Whitebeard, but he was still strong, and could protect himself easily if these were stereotypical zombies.

He opened the locked door, and pushed himself outside and closed it behind him. All of the former-dead people were covered in dirt. Some had mud caked in their hands, meaning they helped dig out the others. They all looked healthy, though some had scars from what had to be fatal wounds. Someone even had a line around his throat as if he'd his throat slitted but healed again.

"Where did you come from?" Marco asked calmly, arms crossed and leaning against the door to the crowded room.

A young woman, in a dress, said, "We just woke up, and were buried. Someone got out and started digging the rest up, and then everyone helped. We're not gonna kill anyone, please let us see our families."

Marco felt for the people, but knew that the alive villagers would not be comfortable seeing these people yet. "I would like to ask some questions, if you don't mind, before I let you see them. Everyone is frightened." The former dead people nodded, willing to do anything to see their families. There were a few children, crying.

"Did you all just wake up? Just like that?" They nodded. "When did you die? What year? Each of you, specifically," Marco said. Most of them had died within three years of their deaths. Since none were from older, they could all just assume there was a time limit from when they'd died. "Did you come across any bodies that were still decomposed? And did those die longer than three years ago?"

A tall man nodded. "There were a few I dug up that were either skeletons or too far gone. Didn't heal like we did. I died of a tumor in my head, but I feel fine now. And none of us want to eat anyone," he added. In any other situation, that would sound ridiculous, but these people had been dead for years, and were suddenly back alive, bodies seeming to function normally.

Marco nodded, not thinking the people would hurt any of their living family members. When the citizens saw the small procession of dead people walking or running towards the village, they fled to Marco's clinic since they knew he was strong and would protect them. Marco had grown quite fond of everyone.

He missed his other life, of adventure and family, but this was not so bad. He hadn't spoken to much of his brothers in at least a month. It hurt that so many left after Pops and Ace died. He felt like it was his leadership that made so many leave The commanders stayed together, but after that, Edward Weevil, as he called himself, started hunting the leftover pirates, they split up for safety. No one believed for a second that that idiot was at all related to Pops. And even if he was, there was no fortune to collect. Fools.

"Alright, I don't think you will kill anyone, but I think you need to all be clean to not frighten them. And maybe eat something while you're at it," Marco suggested. They all nodded and ran off to any house to shower or rinse themselves off with a hose. Marco stayed outside, waiting for them.

Many ran back soaking wet but still in their death clothes. The dirt was off of their skin, but the clothes were still in bad conditions. Some of them were scarfing down food like hungry animals, while others were guzzling water and rubbing their teeth to get the dirt off. "Can we see them now?" one of the little girls said, wet hair flat to her head and face. Marco told them to wait a moment before he went inside and explained that he thought the people were no danger.

A good many of them immediately left, probably the ones who had loved ones that might be alive again. And they trusted Marco's judgement. He smiled when he went outside and watched the people hug and cry, reuniting with one another. Children were sobbing into their parents clothes. Those with children were sobbing as well, their babies back to them.

Marco was about to go back inside to coax the others out, when his den den mushi rang, the one connected to one of the other commanders. He had assumed that it was only this island that this happened to, but it was too much of a coincidence that someone would call _now._

He hurried to the den den mushi and picked it up. "Hello?" Marco asked. He recognized Haruta's voice, frantic sounds around him. He shouted at someone to shut up before speaking. Marco smiled softly, missing his brothers, glad that Haruta sounded alright.

"Marco! People on the island started digging out of the ground! They were dead and now they're alive!" Haruta shouted, excitement in his voice. Of course he'd be excited. Like Ace would. It still hurt to think of him sometimes, but enough time had passed to make him smile when he thought of the bright young man more often than not.

"Same on my island," Marco replied calmly.

"I also listened in on one a marine ship. Apparently this is happening to most islands in the New World. At least, as we know right now. They're quite frantic. You know what this could mean?" His voice was quiet at the end, and Marco frowned deeply. He didn't want to get his own or Haruta's hopes up.

"Yes, I know. But don't get your hopes up," Marco responded. Haruta huffed.

"Well, they have no way to contact us. Shouldn't someone go check?" Haruta reasoned, voice much more calm now. Maybe Marco's words helped him. He sounded so ecstatic and Marco didn't want him to think they were alive and then be crushed when they were still six feet under the ground. Besides, the villagers in most islands weren't buried in coffins. Ace and Pops would have had to break open the coffin- _no._ he wasn't going to start thinking like that. He couldn't bear it if he thought they were alive but weren't. It would be like losing them a second time, and he couldn't handle that.

But, he was the only one on the crew that could fly, and get there quickly. "You mean me?" the former first mate and captain asked in a flat voice. The den den mushi nodded frantically. "I… I can't do that. I can't handle it again."

Haruta grew angry. "So, you're going to use your emotions to abandon your lover and father?" Marco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please Marco. If they are alive, then we could rebuild the family! We could be a crew again, go on adventures, be together and safe! Happy again!"

Marco swallowed deeply. He was right, Marco was letting his sadness overcome his hope. But, he would control that hope. It made sense that this would happen to other islands. And they had died two years ago, not longer than three compared to Sphinx. But if it was different on every island, then who knows? But... they could still be alive. Well, alive again. Ace must be so broken and upset, thinking about the war and his death.

His lover needed him, and he needed him, too. And Pops. How surreal would it be to be with them again? It would be the best day of his life, even if Thatch was unable to come back, as they'd burned him out at sea like he would have wanted.

"Alright. But I have to ask first; have you asked how long those on the island have been dead?" Haruta answered immediately.

"Six years. No one older than that made it. Some dug up each other's graves but found skeletons or decomposing corpses. But, Pops and Ace died two years ago! That means they could be some of the zombies!"

"Don't call them zombies unless they start eating people. That's strange, on this island it's only people who died under three years ago. These people have to be scared and uncertain. Be careful with them, they might have felt like they died minutes ago. Be gentle with them," Marco stressed. Tears almost gathered in his eyes when Hauta called him a mother-hen. It had been over a year since he'd been called that. He reined in his emotions, and couldn't help but say, "I never thought I'd be happy to hear you say that," with a laugh. He didn't laugh much anymore. He smiled small smiles with the villagers he'd grown fond of, but rarely laughed.

The den den mushi grinned. "I won't get my hopes up too high, and I'll call everyone else to tell him you're going to go check. If you do find them… call me, kay?" Haruta asked in small voice. He was nervous, too.

"Promise I will," Marco replied.

He left an hour later, making sure that the former dead bodies weren't eating anyone, still reuniting with their loved ones. Marco hoped he'd be reunited as well. He wanted to cry and hug his long lost family as well. The villagers wished him good luck, as they would enjoy seeing Whitebeard again someday.

"If anyone comes, that is an enemy, go to the caves, alright?" Marco said. He'd dug out a secret base in case of an emergency that could fit everyone inside one of the mountains. He knew something might happen or he'd need to leave, so that was the failsafe he had.

Marco turned completely into phoenix form, something he hadn't done in over a year. It felt good to fly again in bird form, cruising through the air easily and gracefully. He remembered the first time Ace had flown with him, clinging onto his back with his eyes shut and breathing heavily. That was when everyone found out Ace was afraid of heights, unless it was something sturdy he could be on, like a tree or the crowsnest. Flying was not for him, and he got teased mercilessly.

That was before he and Marco finally came clean with each other. More and more memories came up, and the man couldn't help it. He was getting his hopes up and there was no stopping that until he was crushed again to see their perfectly intact graves. Pops' bisento and cape undisturbed, Ace's ridiculous hat and beads still there.

He flew the entire day, log pose hanging from the satchel that had water and food in it, as he was planning on no stops. And since the pose was an eternal one, he didn't need to stop anywhere for any amount of time. He was going straight to the island that he left his heart at.

Three days passed, Marco was able to sleep while cruising, and able change into half form so he could drink some water by holding it in his talons. He decided he'd fly more often even when he went back to the island, alone. It was refreshing and brought back nice memories, even if they had a twinge of sadness in them.

The sun set for the last time on his journey when he landed on the island. It was dark, and he was exhausted when he touched ground and changed back into human form. The first thing he noticed about the graves was the absence of the massive bisento and captian's cape. His breathing stopped, and he couldn't bring himself to go closer and see if the ground was disturbed.

He regained some confidence and shakily walked forward, legs feeling like jelly until he was in front of them, eyes closed, sweating and afraid to look. He scolded himself for growing weak over the years of failure and loneliness, and opened his eyes to see a mess of dirt thrown all over the place, two pairs of boot soles around the site. There was no mistaking the size of one of them.

Still, his heart stayed up behind a wall as he dug himself into the places the bodies should be. But all there were was two very empty graves, dirt poured into the flattened surface. He started sobbing, and for the first time in years that he let himself break. He left the site quickly, and flew around the island, bright and like a shooting star as he looked everywhere.

He found no trace of a massive person below him, and worried they had left already, gone somewhere he'd have to search for, having to wait even longer to see his father and lover. He finally made it to the docks, and saw a big silhouette leaning against a large tree. _But, it could be anything_ , Marco told himself. _It might not be Pops._

But then he saw the much smaller form of someone sitting on the dock, his legs hanging over the edge and a hat next to him, looking out at the moon reflecting on the water. It was Ace. Marco landed on the dock silently. He didn't know who to go to first. Pops was asleep, but Ace was fully awake. And Marco could tell by Ace's body language that he was choking back sobs. Ace was first. He needed him first. Marco saw that he had a shirt on, and was glad. He didn't want to see the wound, though it should be healed like the other undead villagers on Pops' home island.

Ace clearly wasn't paying attention and didn't notice Marco approach from his not so great haki. Marco walked up to right behind him before Ace turned around, eyes widening when he looked up as a tearful Marco.

Marco collapsed onto his knees and hugged Ace tightly, face in his soft hair, which had been washed in the days after he came back to life. Ace sobbed into his chest, apologizing. Marco was expecting it since the moment he let himself believe Ace was alive. He would have to start from the beginning with making Ace feel loved again, but he didn't care. He'd spend his whole life letting Ace know he was loved and cared about.

There was cheerful laughter behind him, deep and gruff, and Marco started crying harder. He couldn't look, hoping Pops' injuries didn't show. He couldn't see him with those holes in him, though he stayed alive from them remarkably. Marco had been hurt, but so proud that he didn't show any pain even from a magma fist into his body multiple times. And that he had died standing.

Marco got up and holding Ace's hand, asked if he could go with his eyes. Ace gave him a smile, telling him that of course he could go see him. Marco stood and sprinted to his captain, who would always be his captain, and flung himself against him, crying and hugging him as tight as he could. The wounds were still there, still very clear, but he was alive again.

Whitebeard hugged him back, laughing in such happiness. Ace was smiling behind him, no longer sobbing, but tears still pouring down his face. Tears of happiness of seeing Marco, who made it clear that he wasn't hated. He was still loved.

-x-

"Who the hell is Edward Weevil?" Whitebeard asked as Marco told the two everything that had happened. Ace was sitting in Marco's lap, back against Marco's chest. Ace felt loved in Marco's arms. Now, that is, and that was enough. Marco laughed at Pops' response. "I've never heard of anyone named 'Miss Bakkin'."

"That is great to hear, not that anyone believed them," Marco chuckled, kissing Ace's head without really noticing it. "And have you been holding out on us from that huge fortune you left behind?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry to say that I haven't. If I had, we could afford a new ship the size of the Moby. I'm not meant to be on some little dinky ship," Whitebeard said. It made his older sons sad, but the other two were much sadder since it only happened to them days ago. Or what seemed like days ago. But, a ship was nothing as long as they were both alive. "Now, am I going to talk to the others now? Who should we call first?"

Ace was looking forward to hearing his other brothers, who Marco had assured Ace weren't mad at him. After all, they all knew now that Pops had chosen Marineford to be his final destination. He never planned to leave with his sons. Marco had checked him over almost immediately after their reunion and there were less tears.

Whitebeard was in perfect health. Just like those people on the island. The man who's had a brain tumor which had disappeared. "We have to call Haruta first," Marco replied, setting the universal den den mushi down and dialing Haruta's number. He answered immediately.

"Marco?" Haruta asked, sounding frightened of hearing that they had still been six feet under and were staying that way.

"No, it's me. I hear you've been teasing your brother again," Pops said with a bright grin.

"POPPPS!" Haruta screeched. Whitebeard laughed as blubbering was heard over the other line. "What about Ace? Is Ace there?!"

"Yo," Ace said simply. Marco chuckled, feeling an immense weight off of his shoulders. He no longer had to be the captain, he could be the first mate again. Their crew would be reborn, just like all those people around the New World at least.

"We can b-be a fam-ily ag-again!" Haruta sobbed. The three could hear crying in the background. Other Whitebeards were there, and knew that their father was alive.

"Oh son, you were all still a family when I was gone. I do wish everyone was able to stay together. But, now I can prove to that Weevil brat and everyone else that the only sons I have are the Whitebeard pirates. I have no fortune, I'm sorry to say."

"I don't care! Money doesn't matter!" Harita exclaimed. Ace chuckled.

"You sure weren't saying that when you complained about not having enough allowance to buy every single person a whoopie cushion," the youngest pointed out. Was he technically still twenty, or twenty two now? He hadn't grown at all over the years. Well, he was dead, but still.

"That was then, this is now," Haruta countered, sounding overjoyed to be talking with Ace again. They felt the sadness about not getting Thatch back, but they were happy that at least two of the three had come back.

"You have to call everyone else, too. Haruta, have you told anyone else your suspicion?" Marco questioned.

"No, I didn't want to get their hopes up. Oh, they'll all be so happy! I haven't talked with some of them in months. I'm sorry Pops. We couldn't hold together without you. The commanders all stayed loyal, but we had to split up for safety. That damn Teach-"

"Let's not talk about him right now. This is a time for happiness," Whitebeard said, shutting down the negative topic. Though he had to be terrified now that Whitebeard was alive again. Perhaps his fruit was taken back by the man when he became alive again. Neither he or Ace remembered any sort of afterlife. If they were in one, then they didn't remember it.

"Since I'm still the intel guy, I have separate snails for everyone, we can have a group conversation!" Haruta exclaimed. But Whitebeard had other ideas.

He smiled along with his two present sons to hear Haruta so happy after Marco said everyone was pretty much miserable alone. He hadnt meant to, but his words had been like a knife into both Ace and Pops. The phoenix had apologized for the wording, kissing Ace in apology. He was much more fragile than Pops was. Not just physically.

"I'd like to speak with them each individually. I know I won't get to hear anyone over the shouting," he said, but didn't sound upset. He couldn't wait to see all of his children again. Those who had stayed. As much as the captain wished they'd stayed together, he couldn't be mad at them for leaving.

"Okay, call me back, though. I want to talk longer," Haruta pretty much whined. Whitebeard promised he would.

Marco dialed Vista, since he had each commander's number memorized. "Hello?" Vista asked, and Ace and Whitebeard could tell he wasn't happy. It broke their hearts to know their family had splintered apart. That they were all so miserable.

"You were pretty cool when you were fighting Mihawk," Ace said. Marco contained his laughter, but Vista didn't sound happy.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Vista asked in a cold voice. Ace frowned.

Whitebeard stepped in. "It looks like you've lost your humor, son," he said, though not in a mean way. The other line was silent for almost a whole minute, before he asked if this was for real, clearly not wanting to hope it was and have it not be. Not all of the commanders were like Haruta, who could openly hope like he had.

"Yes, this is real. I'm sure you've heard of all of the dead rising?" Choking cries were heard on the other line, and they talked for a while, before the three moved on to the rest of them. It took over three hours to get through all of the commanders. Those who were out at sea on the Moby 2 and 3 were going to come and pick the recently deceased up, alive and kicking. The three just had to wait, as Marco was not gonna leave their sides.

Ace looked thoroughly depressed after the phone call, even though he was happy to hear his brothers again. Marco could tell and Pops could tell that Ace blamed himself for the change in their carefree personalities. And Jozu had lost an arm in the war. Ace curled in on himself, even while in Marco's hold, hiding his face in his bangs. Marco rubbed his chest, which had not been uncovered since he'd gotten there.

"No one blames you or has ever blamed you, Ace. I know it will take awhile to get you to believe it, but we have all the time in the world." Ace almost pointed out that they thought that before and then Teach betrayed and set off that domino effect of bad things happening. But he didn't. He changed the subject, not wanting to try and be convinced he'd done nothing wrong. He was weak, and shouldn't be a commander anymore. But he didn't voice it.

"You look good in glasses," he said instead. Marco smiled down at Ace, kissing his neck, not even caring Pops was there.

"I can't say you look good in a shirt," Marco teased, but Ace tensed. Marco realized he'd said the wrong thing.

Ace sighed, and touched the place where he knew the burn was. A huge reminder of that event. It was very traumatizing. He hadn't had a panic attack since Marco had arrived. It distracted him from it being there and he wasn't reminded of anything triggering with Marco there.

"I can't go shirtless anymore," Ace confessed. "The tattoo is burned away completely. And I can't look down without having a damn panic attack." He was ashamed of this, and both Pops and Marco looked at him sadly. It had been years since they saw this Ace. Many years for Marco. Marco ran his hand up and down Ace's chest, since his back was against Marco's front.

Marco nuzzled his hair, eyes closed. "Anyone would have trauma from that. You were killed, Ace. After being tortured in prison. Anyone would have lasting damage after that," he said softly. Ace didn't feel any better, and pointed out that Pops wasn't like this. "Ace, no one could ever compare themselves to Pops and his mental and physical strength. He's also half a century older than you, as well. I know it won't make you feel better, but a lot of us had lasting damage from the war. You're not alone. And maybe Izo can tattoo over the burn with skin colored tattoo ink."

Ace sighed. "He'll be mad that I ruined the tattoo he worked so hard on," he mumbled. Pops sighed quietly, but Ace saw it. Ace had low self-worth and probably PTSD, too, after what happened. After _everything_ that happened.

Marco said he wanted to march into Impel Down like Luffy had and kill everyone who ever touched Ace. Whoever came into contact with him. Whoever hurt him, mocked him, belittled him. Marco wanted revenge, but they all guessed the best revenge was it all being for nothing since both Ace and the strongest man in the world had been reborn. Ace just wanted revenge on Teach and Akainu.

Marco explained when Ace asked about Luffy in Impel Down, that he had broken out hundreds of prisoners and destroyed everyone in Impel Down. It was a complete victory for them. Ace just laughed at his brother, feeling much less angry about it knowing that Luffy was alive and adventuring to his heart's content.

"I'm sure Izo be glad to do another Whitebeard tattoo. haven't had any new members since before Marineford. Might get everyone back into the swing of things once we're all back together," Marco said, playing with Ace's hair. "You need a trim," he said absentmindedly.

As soon as Whitebeard and Ace came into view, Marco truly did rise from the ashes. Ace could tell that he was happier now than he'd been in years.

Ace glowered, though not at anyone he was with. Just at the grass beneath them, as they'd moved from the docks when day came and people started to work. It really was a pleasant island. "Are we really gonna accept everyone back whose left cause Pops died?" he asked bitterly.

Marco clearly could understand why Ace felt like this, but they were all still family. Whitebeard felt the same. "Everyone reacts to grief and fear in different ways. Someone might have left because of the danger, and not feeling they could be protected without my presence. Yes, we will accept them back."

Ace very much disagreed with this, but didn't argue. He was in no place to argue, anyways. He

was the one that caused them to leave, for everything to happen. He didn't regret going after Teach fully because it had saved Luffy. That was what mattered, even if the little idiot had come after him without Ace asking. And he'd saved him. Ace was the one that got himself killed. He should have kept running.

"Don't we want things back to how they were?" Marco asked patiently. Ace shrugged.

"I don't think I'll ever have the trust in those who left than I did before. They ditched you and the crew. Like spitting in Pops' sacrifice," Ace replied, still bitter and angry, dark eyebrows furrowed.

Whitebeard stood up and walked towards his sons, and sat down, putting his large hand on Ace's head. "I did not specifically say they needed to stay together. I wanted everyone to live, whether it be on our ship or not. I had wished things would carry on without me, but I did know some would be unable to deal with my absence. I won't hold their weakness against them. So, don't be angry at them."

Both older men had to know from experience with Ace's temper from long ago, that Ace would be angry for a while, along with hurt and feeling useless. It would take actions and not words to prove to him they still wanted him. They had to stay on the island for a while, and just Marco and Whitebeard wouldn't be enough to convince Ace. It was the sad truth. They were back to square one, but it was worth it for them, and the rest of the commanders.


	3. More Reunions

**Lerya: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it!**

#### Cookiegirl228: <3

#### Otaku_Girl2176: I think a lot of people needed this one. ;)

#### Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: Thank you.

#### Iris Viggiano: I so wish this was how cannon went. Come back Ace and Pops!

#### Hiddlesthug: Awww, thank you!

* * *

**So, I've hit roadblock on new stories. Been getting depressed about the current situation in the world and America. Good thing is that I made my first animation, since it's my dream to become an animator for Pixar or Disney. It's so fun! So, luckily that keeps me busy. Don't worry, those who are new to my stories. The ones I am posting at the moment are all complete, so my writers block won't affect them! Enjoy~**

**There is a spoiler at the bottom, but you don't have to look if you don't want to.**

* * *

Since there was no place big enough for the three to sleep, they camped. Whitebeard was fine against the cold, such a strong man as he wouldn't be affected by a chilly night. Ace and Marco cuddled under a blanket that was given to them. They had no money, after all. Marco was wearing more protective clothing, while Ace was a tank top and some shorts, boots still on. Ace wasn't affected by the cold, though, being made of fire and all.

Even in their sleep, Marco moved his hand up and down Ace's back. He wasn't sleeping well, and Pops had told Marco when Ace had a bathroom break that he was having nightmares and panic attacks about the dying part. So Marco wasn't surprised when he had to wake Ace from a nightmare.

"Sorry, Marco," Ace mumbled into his chest. Marco brought his other hand up to twirl Ace's hair around his finger.

Marco responds, "It's no problem. Remember, I don't necessarily have to sleep? We're not in any fights, I can make it with only a couple hours."

"But you like sleeping," Ace argued. Marco said, "Only when it's with you. Sleeping has been too lonely for awhile. Even if you wake me up from a nightmare, I won't mind. Now, go back to sleep. You're back, and no one will let you go again. Never again," Marco says in a hush, lulling his much-younger partner to sleep.

A small chuckle can be heard from behind him. "Shut it, Pops," Marco said, earning another chuckle. Marco wasn't embarrassed to be affectionate with Ace. Even though he got the teasing about being a cradle robber. He really hoped things would go back to how they were. They could get enough money together to have a new ship built, not in the image of the Moby Dick. That was too painful, but having a home again with his family, smaller though it may be.

Marco fell back asleep, smiling in amusement as he felt the puddle of drool on his chest. It didn't matter, it meant Ace was asleep again, and that was good.

Over the next few days, waiting for one of the smaller ships to come and get them so they could start putting the broken pieces of their family back together, Marco was insistent on making regular checks on Ace and Whitebeard. They came back from the dead, after all. No one knew what would happen, even if they seemed perfectly healthy. Both of them put up with it because they knew Marco cared and it made sense that he was worried.

Despite his fear, Ace and Whitebeard didn't feel that fear. But, they weren't the ones who lost their loved ones. Besides Thatch, that is. They hadn't once mentioned Thatch, all three knowing the chef wouldn't be coming back. So, they avoided it, and it was easy to. Even though it was still more raw for Ace and their father, Marco had moved on. He missed his close brother, and he was ashamed to say it hadn't hit him as hard as Ace's and Whitebeard's deaths. Maybe because they all failed at taking their family back, and then were the ones left over in the hell of the aftermath.

Marco had made sure to call Whitebeard's home town, Sphinx, to tell them the good news. They were overjoyed, and knew that they would have the protection of a yonko again, because Whitebeard was reclaiming that title, taking back his islands once his family was big enough again.

The Moby 2 arrived at the docks in the middle of the night, as they sailed even through the night. It was usually something not to do, but they were going to meet their formerly-dead family. Maybe they didn't believe the news, even though they'd heard him over the den dens.

Vista had been on this ship and had much of his division, one of the only divisions who stayed mostly intact. He picked up Izo and some of his men. The division that was hit the hardest with pirates leaving were Ace's empty seat and Marco's division after he was forced to become captain and didn't get to spend more attention on them while running the rest of the crew as a captain he never wanted to be.

Izo, for once looking disheveled, jumped off the ship and sprinted to the tall figure, holding his bisento with a huge grin. Ace was standing at his side, smiling at the bit of his remaining family. Marco had his arm wrapped around Ace's clothed middle back. After all, Ace was a good six inches shorter than Marco was, and he was tall himself.

Vista charged at Whitebeard while Izo pulled Ace into a big hug, who hugged him back. Izo had no make up on, not that they could tell in the dark since it was the middle of the night. "You idiot! You don't need to thank your family for loving you," Izo scolded. Ace's face turned red. They were his dying last words, and he just had to say it.

"I know. I know now," Ace replied. Izo looked at the shirt he was wearing, not used to not seeing him shirtless. He looked at Ace questioningly. "The burn scar is still there. The tattoo has been ruined beyond repair. I'm sorry." Izo smacked his head.

"Idiot, it's not like you meant to. You were protecting your little brother. Who has made quite the name for himself," Izo said with a grin. Ace nodded, proud of his little brother, the supposed "fifth yonko". Izo turned to Whitebeard, and hugged him. Marco hugged his fellow commanders, not seeing him in months.

Vista suddenly kneeled in front of the captain, who looked surprised. "We all apologize for being unable to keep our family together. We thought you were up there, mad at us for dropping the ball."

Whitebeard smiled sadly. "Stand, son. It's not your fault that many were too scared of enemies that they felt no one could protect them from. Besides, Ace and I don't remember any after life. For us, when we woke up, we had been at Marineford maybe a couple minutes ago. It's still raw for us." What everyone knew he meant was for Ace, not both of them. "We'll gather as many men as we can and try to regain our footing in the world."

"What about-?"

"We are not focusing on Teach yet. We have a crew and family to heal. He can wait. Family comes first and foremost, as it always will. We will also take back our islands. Try not to start a war with Big Mom over Fishman Island." He laughed, knowing that would be difficult.

There was a small party, which would be happening every time one of the crew showed up at the meeting place. Ace was sitting on a log they chopped down, looking at the ground with a blank stare. Izo walked up to him and Marco moved away to give them a bit of privacy.

"We missed you, Ace. I have no doubt you've already been told, but no one placed the blame on you. We felt shame for being unable to save you," Izo explained.

"I didn't keep running," Ace pointed out. Izo sighed, but was still placating.

"Yet we didn't pick your stubborn ass up and force you to come. Idiot," Izo said, though not in a mean way. Ace smiled softly. He looked forward to things going back to normal. He felt so lonely those months on his hunt for the traitor turned yonko. Being with Luffy and his crew was the only highlight. He had thought he could take down Teach but he had no idea about how overpowered that fruit was.

"And nobody thinks you're weak because you lost to Teach," Izo commented. Ace looked down.

"But I was a commander," he argued.

" _Are_ a commander," Izo corrected first. "And Pops lost to him. We all lost to him. And it's only because of the fruit Thatch found." Ace looked shocked, and Izo wondered what he'd said to get this reaction. Everything he'd said was public knowledge.

Ace looked very panicked, and Izo wondered what he'd said, and why it caused this reaction. "Teach killed Pops? I thought Akainu had and Teach just came after to steal his fruit. He told me he wanted to kill Pops, but I didn't think he could do it," he said quietly with a pale face, natural tan gone. Izo realized he'd messed up. Marco was overhearing and sighed, moving to sit next to Ace.

Marco whispered in his ear, "It was Teach's plan all along, Ace. You were just a tool. He would have confronted Teach anyways. It was inevitable. And Pops would have won if he'd been in perfect shape, but we all know he wasn't even before we made it to Marineford." Marco shot Izo a glare, who looked thoroughly guilty. "But, Pops died standing, and stayed standing. Besides, he wasn't planning on leaving Marineford anyway. We know that he chose that to be the place he died. And he sure did make a difference, spitting in the marine and government's face."

The phoenix was thinking of Pop's last words that weren't aimed at his sons. "He exclaimed: the One Piece exists! And then kickstarted even more pirates to go looking for it," Marco said, kissing Ace's cheek, tears coming from both of them. But, they were both proud of how amazing Whitebeard had been, and he more than deserved to live again. Maybe not to the World Government, but no one could call Whitebeard heartless.

"No crying allowed at the reunion party," Whitebeard called from only a few yards away. Marco wiped his away while Ace heated up his face to make the tears evaporate.

"You mean the _first_ reunion party? We gonna throw one for each day? Maybe you're just looking to get drunk off your ass," Marco replied with a sneaky grin. Whitebeard laughed, and it was only because the shock had worn off that Marco wasn't one of the pirates who cried at the sound.

"Insubordination," the captain said as he guzzled down what everyone thought was sake. Marco smirked.

"Technically, I'm the captain of the Whitebeard pirates," the man said slyly. "But, I'll give you the position if you want." The pirates started laughing.

"Captain Marco, huh?" Ace mumbled thoughtfully. He grinned when Marco flushed at him saying that. Then he glared when Ace wore a sneaky grin. That was gonna be his new weapon. Marco sat down next to him, trying to act like Ace didn't see the flush. They both remembered when Ace had been sleeping, and moaned out "commander... Marco'' in his sleep. That led to a quite graphic way to wake up.

Ace leaned to the side, and whispered in his ear, " _Captain Marco…"_ He wasn't expecting Marco to shed a tear and then kiss him strongly, not caring about anyone else seeing. His Ace was back, and he wouldn't let him go ever again. Ace made a surprised sound before closing his eyes and relaxing into the kiss.

No one had missed _this_. Izo was the one to say something. "Didn't know Marco was into title-kink," the man said in an evil voice. The atmosphere was lifted by the interactions, even if it embarrassed Marco. But, it made Ace grin and laugh, and that was good enough for all of them.

"Well, thank you son, I didn't realize you wanted to stay captain," Whitebeard said quite seriously. Marco gave him a look, and a grin broke out on the captain's face. It was blinding. Then he frowned. "We have to do something about my mustache. This is ridiculous," he said, looking down at his half-missing white mustache.

Ace took a large gulp of his own tankard of beer. "Well at least your name isn't 'Whitemustache'. Then your name wouldn't apply anymore," he said in a light voice. Since they'd woken up, Whitebeard and Marco hadn't seen Ace so happy. He practically glowed, and not thanks to his devil fruit. It did not in any chance go unnoticed that Ace and Marco were both flaming where their shoulders touched and the flames blended into purple like the sunrise and sunset.

The pirates who weren't the recently deceased were happy at the sight, not seeing Marco like this in the past two years. He was always so serious, painfully so. His closest commanders kept telling him he was working too much and would give himself a heart attack. His answer was saying, "If I do have one, I'll be fine." He refused to have anyone help him be captain. There was no designated first mate anymore.

"I never want to be captain again," Marco said conversationally.

"Except in bed, right?" Izo taunted. Marco shot him a glare and Ace giggled mischievously. Marco had missed this, and could see the others had as well. With how bright their smiles and eyes were, not something that was sincere for the months before they split up.

"So, I hear an idiot says he's my son? What is with that situation?" Whitebeard asked curiously, not mad about it. More like being entertained with the whole thing, even though it gave his sons a lot of trouble.

Izo sighed, and everyone looked weary talking about that idiot. "The marines believed him for some reason and made him a warlord because of it. He claims that he's your son. We tried to convince people he is not, those dumbasses, but people thought he was credible for being in the warlord system. Ridiculous," the long haired man said. Everyone sighed collectively.

"That's ridiculous. I have no sons other than those on my crew," Whitebeard said. Though he didn't sound too upset about it.

The scars on Pops' body were hard for many to deal with, remembering him dying from them, and from Teach. Though, no one wanted to think about him during this happy time. Teach couldn't take away this happiness like he had done before. But, the scars were inconsequential because Whitebeard was alive and healthy. Healthier than he was before, according to Marco.

"Now that I'm better, you can't grow angry at me for drinking anymore," the captain said with a cheeky grin. Marco sighed, resting his chin on top of Ace's head as the young man had moved over to his lap. The others just laughed, not even caring anymore. Pops was back and that was all for now.

The party continued for quite awhile, though it grew less and less noisy as the night went on, and soon everyone but a few of the under pirates were keeping watch. Ace was the little spoon with Marco.

Ace's narcolepsy seemed to have been cured, since he hadn't had a sleep attack since he woke up. Marco was still feeling unused to Ace having a shirt on, used to his complete warmth and skin, not fabric. But, he knew why and didn't look down on Ace for it. Personally, he didn't want to see it. To be reminded of the death blow he was given, and how painful it must have been.

Whitebeard didn't hide, but he also didn't get panic attacks by looking at his own body. It seemed the mustache was what bothered him the most. Of course it was.

-x-

Morning came, and everyone went hunting, including Ace and Marco, who had a fun time competing with one another. Marco won, as he was faster in phoenix form, but Ace carried more loot since Marco couldn't while being in bird form. Marco said he felt a lot of haki appear at the docks, and knew it was some more of their family.

He and Ace raced back, throwing down the animals Ace had beaten. Not even using his powers, but kicking them and killing in one blow. Some of his attacks were copies of Marco's, having watched him fight countless times. It always made Ace tingly when he saw Marco's strength, and how he was so much more gentle with Ace, as if he was not going to break him.

It used to annoy Ace, thinking Marco thought he was weak, but he was just gentle with the person he loved most. Now it made him happy.

On the ship off came Haruta and Jozu. Ace was sad to see the missing arm on Jozu, again, thinking it was his fault. Haruta was sobbing and raced towards Ace, tackling him in a big hug, Jozu walking up to Pops, though he wasn't one to hug others. He just gave a watery smile and said it was good to see him again.

"You're not being loving enough, Jozu!" Haruta snapped as he ran towards his father and tackled him, too, though it didn't make the man move one inch backwards.

Whitebeard laughed, patting Haruta's back affectionately. Haruta dropped down and looked to Ace, giving him a glare that startled the youngest. "You! Don't think we don't love you cause your father was Roger!" he scolded. Ace looked down and frowned. He was embarrassed now about saying those things now that he was alive again.

He just was on his deathbed and wanted his family to know he was thankful for their company and care. Haruta softened when Ace looked ashamed. "Besides, if you asked any of us about it, those who met him would have told you he wasn't a monster or bad guy."

"Though he did take our previous second division member away," Jozu commented. Whitebeard looked disgusted at it, making Marco crack up, saying he hadn't seen that expression in much too long. The captain noticed he was making that face and laughed about it. It was so easy to laugh now, like they had all. "Anyways, Roger was just an adventure hungry idiot. We never hated each other."

Ace still didn't look convinced, and Marco stepped in, "Let's not talk about it anymore,"  
he said in a forceful tone. There was another party, and Whitebeard was pleased with all of the sake.

"Pops, a lot of us don't have a ship. We have to go pick them back up. They're scattered on some islands," Jozu said near the end of the party, when pirates had passed out from being drunk. Ace and Marco were unable to become full on drunk, but got a bit tipsy. Enough to be coherent enough to not endanger themselves like so much of the crew did.

Whitebeard looked sad at the news. "It saddens me that everyone had to split apart," he replied, putting his bottle of sake down and having distant eyes. Ace was sad as well, they hadn't gotten used to everyone being separated.

"Well, we'll get them back together, and make some ruckass on our way. The world needs to know that Whitebeard woke up, too! He has to become a yonko again!" Haruta exclaimed, being one of the only pirates still awake, though he was swaying as if it was hard for him to stay upright.

"He'll be the sixth yonko, though. Ace's little brother is considered the fifth yonko in the paper. You jealous, Ace? Your brother became stronger than you while you were dead," Marco teased, knowing Ace always wanted to stay the strongest over his brother to protect him.

Ace glared at Marco, not liking to be reminded. He was proud of Luffy, but also irate that he'd surpassed him. Well, Ace would just need to do something big and gain a huge bounty like that! Flames flickered on his shoulders, but it didn't hurt Marco at all.

"Hey, I wonder if that Sabo guy lost the flame-flame fruit when Ace woke up again," Jozu wondered. No one but Pops and Whitebeard knew why Ace stiffened.

"Sabo?" Ace asked in a deadly calm voice. Jozu and those who were awake looked uneasy about Ace's anger.

The diamond man looked worried, but kept speaking. "Sabo, a revolutionary. He ate the flame-flame fruit after it reformed. Won it at Dressrosa. I think your little brother was there, too, since his bounty got higher after that. And Doflamingo went to prison after Luffy beat him," Jozu explained, not hiding anything.

Ace erupted into flames, knocking people away. "THAT SHIT HEAD! I thought he was dead all this time! Some brother! I even got my tattoo changed as a tribute to his death!" Ace raved, waking up many of his sleeping brothers. But, they could all see the tears on his face, and Marco hugged him. Ace grabbed the back of Marco's shirt and sobbed in relief more than anger anymore.

His dead brother was alive? Poor Luffy thought both of his brothers were dead for those years. Ace felt guilt about it, but was glad Luffy found out that Sabo was still alive. He didn't feel too guilty about taking his fruit back since Sabo hadn't even told him he was alive. Ace was in the papers constantly, how could he not notice? Jerk. Did he not like Ace as much as Luffy? Ace knew he was a jerk as a kid, but Sabo didn't even want to see him? It hurt.

"Maybe when our crew is more healed, we can go see him and find out why he didn't try to make contact while you were still alive," Marco said, running his hand across Ace's clothed back. He could feel the raised spot that was the burn, and inched his hand lower so he didn't rub over it. Over his ruined tattoo.

Ace nodded, embarrassed to be crying in front of anyone but Marco or Pops. No one looked down on him, though. "Then we can go find my reckless brother and beat him until he stops doing stupid stuff."

Haruta laughed. "I don't think you're the one to say that. But, he did orchestrate the assassination of Big Mom and took out her son. He definitely didn't seem so strong two years ago."

Ace's brows furrowed. "Two years ago?"

"Yeah, he and his crew went missing suddenly for two years before arriving back at Sabaody to go to the New World. Probably were doing some sort of training to get ready to sail further into the Grand Line."

"I was happy to hear he wasn't dead when the paper came out," Marco said. "Or your sacrifice would have been null. That really scared me," the first mate confessed. Not much made Marco scared other than his family getting hurt. It made Ace feel warm that his family cared about Luffy, too. Well, Ace did brag about him a lot. Used to.

Whitebeard thought about the reckless kid. "He sure was a cheeky brat. Told me _he_ was going to be the next Pirate King, not me," and he laughed loudly. "He was strong then, too, though he was heavily injured. He was the one who got you out of the chains. Assembled quite the team of misfits to help. I don't know why he thought I wished to be Pirate King. I've made it clear that I don't wish to."

Ace looked guilty. "I sorta told him in Alabasta that I'd make you Pirate King, not him." Everyone was quiet.

"You asshole! Is that how you encourage your little brother?!" Haruta shouted. Ace shrugged, not feeling especially bad about it. So, he told them about Luffy saying he'd have to beat Whitebeard to become pirate king. It made them laugh, including Pops. He really was cheeky and reckless, like a certain freckled commander on his crew, family.

Whitebeard shut down the bickering. "Well, with his progress, he might just become the Pirate King, who knows?" The others looked shocked at the support. "What? He's a so-called 'fifth emperor' now. Better him than anyone else looking to find the One Piece." They all knew who he was referencing. Maybe not just Teach, but also Big Mom and plenty of other powerful rookies.

**Spoiler: Because this is following the timeline of the cannon one piece, Ace doesn't meet Luffy yet as he is in Wano. I'm caught up with the manga, so after the Wano arc is finished, Luffy will meet Ace in a One-shot. Sorry if it's disappointing, but Sabo is in this one!**


	4. A New Adventure Begins

#### Hiddlesthug: Hmm, we shall see what happens with Sabo. 

**Andrea: Thank you, I'm glad!**

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: I'm practiced in writing them, lol. My writing block has ended and I posted another story. Surprise, surprise.**

#### Iris Viggiano: If you like Ace x Marco cuteness I posted a new fic with them as a couple in it. 

**Penguinfreak: Thank you for the reminder that I left something out of the story!**

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**I started posting another romance fic between Ace and Marco. It's really fluffy with some action. I cannot want to get to chapter 10 in this one. I can't wait for everyones' reactions! Look forward to it, I know I sure am! Enjoy~**

**BTW: I added a drawing of Ace for this story in the first chapter. Art by me.**

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The next day, the pirates were distributed on both of the ships, since they were both too small to house everyone. Pops was too big to go inside the Moby 2, so he was on the Moby 3. Marco and Ace were on the other ship, as much as Marco wanted to spend more time together, they still needed a leader on both ships. Marco happily retook the position of first mate. His father had scolded him for not appointing one.

They were heading to the island closest to them when they came across a marine ship. Since both Moby's were headed to the same place and directed by the same crew, the ships stayed fairly close to one another. When the marine vessel was spotted on the horizon, Marco flew Ace to the ship Pops was on, to ask what they should do.

"Should we let the world know Pops and Ace are back, or wait awhile until we rebuild more of our crew?" Haruta asked, standing with his fellow commanders and captain. Whitebeard looked at the marine ship, and made his choice.

"As much as I'd love to be recognized again, I'd like to get us back on our feet first. I don't wish to only have a few commanders to fight New World marines. It's surprising to see them in these waters."

"Not really, after you destroyed the place, the marines moved their base into the New World. So, there's marines here, and it's nothing really new. They're pesky and annoying. It's your own fault, though," Marco accused, but not angry. When the captain looked questioning, Marco said, "Your last words, remember? It was good revenge on the marines and world government, but it sent a lot more pirates out into the New World to look for the treasure." Whitebeard laughed, and said he was proud of his choice of his last words.

Ace wasn't sure what they were talking about, having not been there to hear the captains words.  
"Pops said that the One Piece does exist. Gave your little brother a lot more competition if you ask me," Haruta explained.

"Oh, yeah," Ace said, already hearing that and just forgot.

"Well, for now, Pops, go hide," Marco said. Whitebeard hated the words, but did so, going inside for the sake of rebuilding his family. He could wait to avenge Ace's murder until they could _all_ take part in it.

The marine ship didn't bother them, surprisingly, and they sailed right past it by a mile, the vessel a tiny dot but still visible through a telescope. Hopefully they hadn't noticed the large figure standing on deck, but seeing two Whitebeard ships together at the same time right after people started rising from the dead might be a tad suspicious.

Ace and Marco were both in the shower, the one made for him. Whitebeard had to take the other one that was much bigger and designed for those on the crew who were big, like Jozu and many other commanders.

The fire devil fruit user was reluctant to take his shirt off, but he was not clean anymore. Washing off in the water hadn't really gotten his hair clean after the whole being underground situation. Marco noticed his aversion, and covered the mirrors in the room so Ace wouldn't see the scar. Marco pulled the shirt over his head gently, exposing the horrific burn scar.

It broke Marco's heart to see his back, how the Whitebeard tattoo was almost completely covered by damaged skin. Ace had his back to Marco while he ran the water over himself, head turned upwards and eyes closed. The phoenix looked up from the wound and walked closer to Ace, pulling him into a hug, chest to back.

If they weren't on a smaller ship, this would have been a good time for Ace to test out just how strongly "captain Marco" would affect Marco. But, this wasn't the time or place. Not now. Marco took the soap and washed Ace's body slowly and thoroughly. He got rid of all the dirt and grime from over the past week.

Marco gently washed over the burns on his back and chest. Ace didn't say a thing, just let Marco wash him. He was clearly lost in his own thoughts. He spoke after Marco leaned down and kissed the burn on his back.

"It hurt a lot. I wanted to die cause it hurt so much, but I had things I needed to say," he said quietly. If it was anyone else, the words would have been drowned out by the sound of running water. Marco hugged him and kissed the wet nape of Ace's neck softly.

"I can imagine it was incredibly painful. I wish you could have healed like I would have," Marco said back. He turned the water off, and walked to get their clothes. "But, you're back now. And I won't let you die ever again."

As they dressed quickly, the younger covering up his scars with the shirt, Ace smiled at him fondly. "We all die someday. I just hope not anytime soon," he replied. " _Captain Marco."_

Marco glowered and Ace ran out of the room, much happier than he was when he entered. Marco shook his head, unable to get the image of Ace burning from the inside out out of his head. He sure hid his pain well, but that's what he'd been doing all his life. Marco knew it was there, but was ashamed to say he didn't see just how bad it was. Bad enough that he thanked his family for caring about him as his dying words.

The once again first mate took a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. He didn't want to think about the war anymore. It was hard, since everything was brought back up suddenly. He hadn't been ready for it, mentally, but couldn't complain with _why_ it was brought back up.

Ace had gone out on deck, and Marco headed to the captain's room on the Moby 2 to get the den den mushi that reach Sphinx, which he felt bad for suddenly leaving. He called them, sitting on the bed that he and Ace were sharing. "Hello?"

"Hey, Joseph. It's Marco, just checking in. Is everything going alright while I'm gone?" Marco knew the line could be tapped, but he was saying nothing of importance, just asking how his sorta-current home was.

"Well, no one has eaten anyone else," the man joked. Clearly things were going well while he was gone. "We're functioning just fine. One of those who came back is a skilled doctor, so it's quite lucky."

Marco was glad to hear things were going alright. "You're not replacing me, are you?" he said in a teasing voice.

"You could never be replaced. But, everyone wants you to reform the crew and be truly happy again," the man said with a smile in his voice. Marco thought he'd been showing he was happy. His smiles were real when dealing with the people of Sphinx. He wasn't bright, no pun intended, but he had been content to take care of them. It was partly out of enormous guilt that he couldn't keep Pops' family together, so surely he could take care of his hometown.

But, he pushed those thoughts from his mind. "Thank you, Joseph. We'll visit once things are better, I promise," he swore. Joseph laughed and said they were welcome any time.

-x-

The journey was both great and horrible for Ace and Whitebeard. They were still coming to terms that their family had fallen apart. Splintered apart like their time together hadn't mattered at all. Surely they could have all fought back against that loser, Weevil? Teach, maybe not when he had both the dark-dark and quake-quake, but still. None of the commanders had died during that battle, they should have been able to stay together! Whitebeard noticed Ace's similar feelings, and put his arm on his scarred back.

"We'll get them back together and make things right again, son," Whitebeard said quietly. Ace nodded, but looked down. "Don't you dare apologize again," he said more sternly. Of course, Ace knew it would be hard for him to make Ace believe what he said, but the captain and father would not let Ace wallow in self-hatred. Not when they had a new beginning. Ace nodded, still feeling like he needed to apologize for his failures.

The days went by slowly for Ace but quickly for the rest. After all, their father and brother/lover were back. Time went by too quickly, and the pirates wished they could just pause time for forever so no one aged or died ever again. Now that they knew what had happened when Whitebeard died, his passing again might have the same affect. And that would be an absolute shame.

The island they came to first housed Kingdew, and they realized just how long it would take to get everyone back together. They needed a new ship, too. And soon. The bigger members would take up space on the small ships, and there were only so many beds. After all, these two ships were never meant to carry so many people. They couldn't house everyone.

Kingdew was too prideful to hug Pops, but his lower lip was wobbling, while the rest of his face stayed serious. He always looked cranky. Ace shook his hands while Pops patted his back gently enough to not hurt him. After all, even though Kingdew was large, he was much smaller than Pops was.

He smiled at seeing Marco with his arms wrapped around Ace from behind, both smiling softly at their family having another piece of the puzzle put back into place. Kingdew had many men with him, and it was becoming clear that they desperately needed a bigger ship. Now, both ships were starting to fill up.

The commanders and captain had a meeting in Pops' room the next day, and the commanders brought out all of the money they had with them. It wasn't enough for another Moby Dick. Well, not a replica, but one as big. It had cost many hundred of millions of berries to have it built, and that was a long time ago. Prices had probably risen since then.

"We could go to a shipbuilding island, and offer to protect it for a ship?" Ace offered, having been silent for most of the meeting before this. "I know it's underhanded, but we need a bigger ship, y'know?" The others considered the idea.

"It is a bit underhanded, you're right, but is a good idea. Does anyone have a good map we can use? To find a good shipbuilding island? I know there are more than one in the New world, unlike Paradise which only had Water 7," Marco replied. Haruta got up, saying he had maps on the ship he'd been on, and left to get it. Marco took Ace's hand, seeing that distant look in Ace's eyes he had before isolating himself.

Ace looked down at it with a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. No one had brought up the war with him specifically, knowing how he felt and sympathizing with him. No one blamed him, but he blamed himself and it was understandable. They would blame themselves as well, though it was harder for Ace since he'd already had low self-esteem.

Haruta came back and laid the map of the New World out, pointing to where they were now. They'd just left Kingdew's island, and the nearest shipbuilding island was three away. "Is it protected under anyone?" Whitebeard questioned.

"It's under Big Mom," Jozu answered. "It might be a problem here. Are there any that are not protected?"

Haruta scanned the list of islands and their latitude and longitudes to match up with where they were and the other islands near them. "Three islands to the west there is one unprotected as far as I know. It's big enough to be able to build another ship. It will take a long time, though. We'll be stuck there for a while. It could be our new meeting place, and after the ship is done, maybe we could make it known Pops is back.

"The flag won't matter if there is no person to back it up. People will have to know that you're back to actually have it have any real protection," the small commander added.

"It is sooner than I'd like for everyone to know, but we'll do what needs to be done. We need a new ship before boarding any more of your brothers. There is simply no more room for it to be safe or comfortable. Thank goodness by bisento was there, and Ace's hat," Whitebeard said conversationally.

Izo looked a bit concerned. "Are you alright to fight, Pops? Your power is back, right?" Whitebeard smiled fondly.

He straightened his back, and said, "There is no reason to worry about me. I am completely healthy, your brother keeps giving me and Ace check ups. And I have my fruit back, and would be strong even without it. Have you lost faith in me?"

"No! Of course not, it's just hard… going to see you fighting again. And… the scars and stuff make it difficult," Izo explained, mumbling near the end. Everyone understood his feelings. Ace absentmindedly touched his chest, deciding he was going to stick with wearing a shirt for a long time. He could get a new tattoo on his arm or something. Thankfully, his other arm tattoo was still there.

Even knowing Sabo was alive, having that tattoo - his tribute - destroyed would have hit him harder than having Whitebeard's mark gone. He didn't know whether to feel guilty about it. When he wasn't looking, Whitebeard looked down at him with sad and sympathetic eyes.

"Scars say nothing about us other than the hardships we've gone through and survived. Well, that doesn't really count for me, since I did die, but I'm back. And the scars aren't going anywhere, so get used to them," Whitebeard said in a stern voice.

Haruta didn't mean to, but he slipped up. "At least there are no scars on your back, right?" Ace flinched, and looked away, shame on his face with red cheeks. Humiliation that he had died from an attack through his back, though it wasn't from running away. It was from protecting his brother. Though anyone else who didn't know about that would look down on him for having a scar on his back. Like he ran from fights, which he refused to do until the end. Stupid…

"Ace, you didn't run. Maybe you should have, but the scar was not from running. That was from protecting your loved one. It worked, Luffy is healthy and wreaking havoc everywhere he goes," Marco said, hid hand gently taking his chin and turned his head to face him. "You never ran. Those who matter will know you did not. _You_ know you did not."

Ace's gaze wandered away from Marco. He did his best not to sigh, knowing it would make Ace feel like a nuisance. The others kept the pity off of their faces, while Whitebeard just looked sad. It was hard to see family like this. Any family. All he could do was be strong himself and help his son heal through care. If words did not convince him, only actions could.

Instead of making any move that Ace was irritating Marco, he pulled him close by wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Now, let us continue to plan. We need to be ready on both ships to take damage. I want both to have equal number of commanders of equal strength. Ace and Marco will be in my stead on the other ship, while I say on the Moby 3," Whitebeard explained.

Both Marco and Ace felt a pinch of pride in being considered to be the extra captain, being regarded as the strongest of the commanders. Even after Ace was buried six feet under for two years, his strength was still there.

They ran into their first problem the day after. A pirate ship, and Pops was unable to hide fast enough, not that he would ever have wanted to. And he probably wouldn't have anyways. Not from some small pirate ship. He wondered why such a dinky ship was in the New World. Marco could almost read his mind.

"Everyone flocked to the New World after the war. Even people who shouldn't be here," he said, and then flew over to the screaming pirates after seeing Whitebeard standing there holding his bisento and looking like the demon so many saw him as.

The commanders easily dispatched the crew, setting the ship aflame with Ace's powers. They wouldn't let word spread yet. Not until they were safe on an island and not two smaller ships that were not made of Adam's wood. They all missed the Moby, Ace and Whitebeard feeling the saddest as it felt like they had lost it a couple weeks ago. The others all missed it, but they had moved on alright. No one wanted a new ship - they wanted the _Moby Dick_ \- but one was needed. Especially now that everyone was going to come back together.

Ace sat at the crowsnest, watching the horizon in each direction. He would do his job, he wasn't going to fail his family again. Teach may be too strong for him now, but that didn't mean Ace couldn't fight back against other pirates and marines. The new world was bigger than Paradise, but Marco said there were many more pirate crews, and marines, in the New World now. Meaning they might run into more enemies.

And they did, later that day they saw another pirate ship, bigger than the last one. Pops easily destroyed it as Ace watched from afar. After all, Pops was on another ship, while Ace was on the smaller one. He didn't feel the thrill of seeing the captain fight like his brothers. He'd seen him battle just a couple weeks ago while his brothers hadn't seen it in years.

Marco flew up to the crowsnest and landed next to Ace, sitting down on the floor next to him. Marco took his hand and kissed the back of it. "How are you doing?" Ace looked surprised by the question.

"Fine, why?" Ace asked, though he didn't know if it was the truth. He was feeling a bit hazy that day, distracted easily. Which was good, as he didn't focus on his guilt. Marco frowned at him.

"We just haven't talked about it, you know? Maybe we should talk about it. Maybe it would help," Marco offered. Ace knew he was talking about Marineford and everything that had happened before that. Just everything that had happened after Ace went off to find Teach. And to lose pitifully.

Ace looked at his hands and didn't say anything, not knowing if he wanted to talk about it or not. "How's Jinbei? He was in prison with me," Ace said, dodging the question while also appeasing Marco, talking about it, even if it wasn't about his guilt or death.

"He'd allied with Big Mom as far as I know. To have Fishman Island protected," Marco replied. "He's the one who saved Luffy. I don't know what happened after the submarine came, but Jinbei went with him. A submarine with another super rookie had come and rescued your brother. He is a lucky guy. He made so many allies during the war and Impel Down." Ace grinned, proud of Luffy and knowing how he pulled people together easily. He really wanted to see his little brother, scold him for being so reckless.

"Will you tell me about what he'd done since then? Since you last saw him? Was he in the news lately?" Ace asked, wanting to think about something happy. His little brother's adventures. So Marco told him about what he knew of Luffy, his time in dressrosa, the constant jumps in his bounty, as well as his crew's bounties. Ace smiled at it, even if it made him worrisome about him. But Luffy had grown strong over the years while Ace was dead. He was proud of him, and the pride outweighed his jealousy. He was alive now, he had all the time in the world to grow and improve.

But he wasn't desperate for fame, he wanted to be happy with his full family. At least, those who would join again. He couldn't help the bitterness about those who had left. He just couldn't let it go. It felt like a real betrayal, but Ace didn't have any right to complain, since it was all his fault, after all. But having his old crew leave stung. All of them had left. It hurt but he tried not to think about it.

Their conversation was interrupted when a newscoo flew over their heads and Marco went to get it, bringing the paper back up to the crowsnest. "Anything about what's been happening? With the whole dead rising thing?" Ace asked. Marco's eyes flicked from right to left as he read the paper.

"Yeah. Looks like it's happened everywhere, not just the New World… but it's strange. Every island has a different time frame. In Paradise, the time limit is up to twenty six years. Doesn't say about the Blues. Though a handful of islands had this not happen at all. It's so strange.

"We could have overpopulation if so many people are coming back from the dead. Though, the government can handle that, not our problem," Marco said. "There's no explanation, and devil fruits that were eaten since the previous owner died have been returned to them. So, Teach doesn't have the tremor-tremor fruit anymore. That was what really got us in the Payback War. He had Pops ability, along with that bullshit, overpowered fruit. Now, if we gather everyone back together, we could defeat him. But his crew is strong. Though they should have lost many of their devil fruits after they killed the previous ones. But it's possible they still have them in case the island where ever the original died could have a different time frame," Marco hypothesized.

Ace blanched, making a connection that _that man_ could be alive again. But, he tried to push it out of his mind. He wouldn't ever find Ace, and his crew would protect him from his biological father. They all already knew his secret, the whole world did. But, Ace asked, "How does Teach steal fruits? How is that possible?" Marco shrugged. He had no idea.

"He always had a weird body, but I don't know how exactly he has two fruits. _Had_ two fruits. After all, Pops has it back now. The dark dark fruit might be powerful, very powerful, but it's not nearly as destructive as Pops' is. He's lost a big advantage he'd had. And he might come after us again. But Pops knows better now, knows what to expect, and he was on his deathbed when Teach attacked him back at Marineford.

"I think we stand a chance against him with Pops back. Just in a sense of morale, we have the upper hand. But, we're not worrying about Teach right now. Focusing on healing our broken family. Right?" Marco asked with a smile.

Ace nodded. "Marco, I want to avenge Thatch. I want to avenge Pops and our broken family. I know I'm the source of what happened, but I want to avenge Thatch," the fire user said in a strong voice. Marco frowned.

He kissed Ace's temple. " _Teach_ is the source, Ace. You were a tool for him. Everything went according to his plan. I know it's too much to ask for now, but someday I want you to understand that it is not all your fault. Did you even want us to come for you?" Ace shook his head. "Then how is our coming your fault? We wouldn't have, but we could have chosen to not come. We could have left you. We didn't, but that isn't your fault," Marco said emphatically.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Tell me about what happened to the marines after the war," Ace said in a tight voice. Marco didn't argue, and Ace was thankful for it. It would take a long time for him to know it wasn't all his fault, if ever. So Marco told him about the change in the marines after the war. How his murderer was now the fleet admiral, and there was a new admiral. He wasn't a logia.

It was quiet for a little bit, Ace trying to get the courage to say what he wanted to. Marco gave him an encouraging look. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess, Marco," Ace finally said. His face was red and he didn't make eye contact with Marco. The phoenix's face fell and he moved Ace to his lap, resting against his chest and rubbing circles on his back, like Ace was a child. "I'm always sad, I shouldn't be. I should be so happy, I'm alive, you're alive, Pops is alive, Luffy is alive. I should be happy…"

Marco kissed his head. "Trauma doesn't go away easily, Ace. And no one blames you for it. No one else here but Pops has been killed. Trauma… it takes a lot of work and time to go away," he said gently.

"How long? How long will I be like this?" Ace asked, almost desperately. Marco said, gently, that he didn't know and it was different for everyone.

"But, your family is here and we'll be there to help you. Help you through a tough time. We just have to start over again from when you joined. Do you remember how much you thought we'd hate you, how low your self-esteem was?" Ace nodded and blushed at the reminder of his previous weakness. "And we fixed that better, made you feel welcome and loved. We can do it again, and we're in no rush.

"No one will rush you to get back to where you were or better. Okay? Besides, we have a long journey left to bring our family back together." Marco leaned to the side and left a chaste kiss on the corner of Ace's frown.

Ace sighed, and looked up at the starry sky. "I'm sorry I'm such a hassle. I don't want to be a burden to you again," the freckled commander said. Marco put his arm around Ace's shoulder, planting a sweet kiss on his tattooed shoulder.

Marco replied, in a quiet voice, "You are no burden to me, never. And even if you were, I would still help you and stay with you. I love you, Ace. I never will let you go again. I can not lose you again. Thatch and Pops' deaths were agonizing, but I'd never felt so empty than I did when I was laying in bed alone. I missed you so much, you are no burden. I know you have burdens, heavy on your shoulders. And I'd like to help you carry them." Ace was crying by then, knees up to his chin as he sobbed quietly, trying to keep his voice down so no one else heard.

The phoenix zoan took Ace into his lap, kissing his head and whispering reassurances. Ace eventually fell asleep, comfortable against Marco, his tears having made him a bit sleepy. Marco held him all night, still able to pay attention on watch duty.


	5. New Developments

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: Marco is the best.**

**justaguest: You will not have to wait long for those answers. ;)**

#### Iris Viggiano: I hope you like that one! It's very different, but most of my stories are different.

**Penguinfreak: Hmmm, we shall see.**

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**I'm at the Dressrosa arc and I forgot just how bad the animation quality and pacing are in this arc -_-. Still gotta love "Lucy".**

* * *

Marco embraced the latest commander they'd collected, who was Atmos. He'd missed everyone so much, and hadn't realized just _how much_ until they were back together. Things were still not the same, but everyone was happier than they'd ever been with Marco as captain. He knew he should not feel it was his fault they all left, Pops had specifically told him he wasn't allowed to think that, but it was hard not to.

Everytime a new member came, not only the commanders, it hurt that they left Marco and stayed for Pops. Was Marco just a terrible captain? He kept the smile up, and the normal bored look. He kept the frowns away. Kept any indication of his misery away. He loved his brothers, he loved Pops, he loved Ace, but he couldn't help but feel they left because of him. He understood the guilt Ace felt for their family falling apart.

And he couldn't talk to Ace about it, he hadn't been there to see how he was as a stressed and overworked captain, so any reassurances would fall flat. It had been almost four weeks since everyone came back to life, and it still felt wrong. Of course it felt wrong, Ace and Pops were supposed to be dead.

He was so happy. Overjoyed. But he felt the burden on his shoulders heavier with each new arrival of his brothers. Marco didn't feel the animosity towards those who had left like Ace did. He didn't blame them, but it still hurt.

Pops was sitting on deck of the Moby 3, and called Marco over from the other ship. They were nearing the unprotected shipbuilding island, and would soon attempt to have another ship built. "Marco, I can see your pain. Talk to me about it?"

Of course he knew. Of course Pops had noticed. They were secluded, Pops had clearly asked people to not listen before calling Marco over. He sat down on his shoulder, like he used to. It was a comfortable place to sit. To be so close to his father, who had been his father since he was a chipper teenager. "I'm happy. I'm happy that everyone is back together, that you and Ace are alive."

"But?"

"But they all left when I was captain. I know I wasn't a good one. I wasn't warm like you are. I did everything I could to stay together, but it wasn't enough. Then, under my leadership, we lost the Payback War, staining our crew's name and reputation. And it's all on me," Marco confessed, never being able to lie to Pops.

He was silent for a beat. "This crew fell apart because I died. I was their father and I died. It was because of my absence that this happened. It isn't the fault of you or Ace. It is my fault. I should have told everyone I was not planning to leave Marineford. I should have said something, helped you become the next captain. It would have been hard, but could have prevented this from happening in the first place."

Marco frowned. "You chose me as your first mate. And I fumbled it. I was the second in command, I shouldn't have needed to be tutored on how to be a leader." He said it almost bitterly, angrily, though it was at himself and not his brothers.

Whitebeard sighed, and Marco felt he'd disappointed him. But Pops didn't say that, or make any move of how he felt. He just said, "Everyone grieves in different ways. Some self-isolate. That could be why some left. But that is still on my shoulders. I'd like to not think about it, we will bring ourselves back together. We already have twelve of the commanders. We will have a new ship sometime soon. We are still the Whitebeard pirates, but there is a silent 'new' before it.

"Our crew will not be the same as it was before, but it is still a family. I know how hard it must have been for you, and I am sorry," he finished. His voice gave the impression he did not want to have an argument about blame anymore. So Marco did the only thing, even if he felt it didn't need to happen. He forgave his captain and father. "I will stay healthy now. As much as it pains me, I will no longer be a heavy drinker. I will follow what you and the nurses, if they come back, on what to do." The nurses had been furious they were kicked off the ship for Marineford. They were strong fighters as well. They might be too angry and offended to even _want_ to come back.

Marco was shocked that Pops would give up drinking. "Who are you and what have you done with our father?" Whitebeard laughed loudly. God, Marco had missed that sound.

He grinned and held his sake bottle up. "It's water. And I just need to stay alive as long as possible for my children. I won't let you go through that pain again. We will deal with Teach in time, I promise. But first, we will mend our broken family. We don't need that piece of trash to mess with our reunion. We have a long ways to go, but we will get there." Marco smiled and leaned against his captain's head, who laughed.

The newscoo dropped on the deck, and Marco jumped off to take it. He looked at the front page, looking troubled. Ace would not be happy about this. In the month that was after everyone came back to life - well, not everyone, but a vast amount of people- there hadn't been much pirate activity, surprisingly. But, it looked like that was because they were getting their bearings, ships, etc.

Not anymore. According to the front page, there was a huge amount of pirate activity in Paradise and the Blues. A large amount of wanted posters were hidden in the paper. The first mate looked through them as he headed back to the captain. Faces he hadn't seen in a long time popped up. Pirates who had passed, been executed, went missing.

He paled when a specific one came out, and looked around to make sure Ace was not around to see it. He hurried to Pops, looking troubled. Whitebeard had a look of worry. "Looks like pirates are back in action that have been long dead. Ace isn't going to be happy about one of them." And he handed Pops the paper and the specific wanted poster.

Whitebeard's face was a mix of emotions at seeing his long-dead rival's bounty poster anew again. He had been friends and a rival with Roger, so he must be happy on one part. But of course, there was Ace to think about. Knowing Roger had come back would upset Ace greatly. Even if Roger was not a bad man to them, it was still because of his affiliation with Ace that he died in the first place.

Marco felt anger. And not at Teach or himself. He was angry Roger was back. Ace had enough troubles right now as it was, he didn't need his hated father alive again. He didn't need to feel any worse than he already did. He was napping back on the Moby 2, in his and Marco's shared bed even if the room no longer housed just them.

"I'm not sure what to say. It would be nice to drink with him again, but Ace is in enough emotional turmoil as it is," Pops said, voicing Marco's concern as well. "Perhaps his mother is alive, though. He has told me in great length about the few things he knows about her. It may be a plus to have him meet her, but if I know Roger, he will go to his loved ones before resuming pirate life. I can't see him settling down in the first place. He hungers adventure too much to sit in one place."

Marco ran a hand through his hair. "Do we tell him?" he asked. Whitebeard knew who he was. Ace, obviously. "Or do you think he'll be more upset if we hide it from him?"

Whitebeard thought for a long moment. "I think we need to tell him. Lying would not do to make him feel wanted again." Marco agreed, but knew it would not be pretty. Ace had a lot of issues with his biological father, and it could have only worsened when he and Pops were both killed in a war all about Ace's biological parentage.

The first mate could see Roger trying to reach out. Ace had a wanted poster with his father's last name on it now. Ace would not be happy about that. The name would be a dead giveaway of who Ace was and how he was related to the previous Pirate King. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will tell him after he wakes up. He's sleeping right now," Marco finally said.

"No, I'll be there, too. _I'm_ his father and I should be there, too," the captain said. Marco smirked in amusement.

"Are you gonna get in a fight between his biological father about whose son he is?" Whitebeard laughed. "Though, we both know Ace would choose you over him. Any day of the week. He adores you, you know?"

Pops laughed and beamed, taking a big gulp of his water, which Marco almost believed was a lie. Pops hadn't drank water voluntarily in a long time, and especially when there was sake to be had. "And I adore all of you," the captain replied, like always, not taking favorites. He loved his sons equally, even if he spent more time with some than other. Namely, the commanders. He'd been attached to Ace before he was a commander, and before Marco and Ace became a thing.

Namur came over, interrupting their conversation, and said they were getting nearer to the island. "We have 116,000,000 berries. That's collected from everyone who joined again. Not nearly enough for a ship the size of the Moby Dick," the fishman explained. "We'll be there in another day or so if the weather permits."

"Thank you son. Hopefully our offer to protect them will work out. We will not force anyone to build us a ship. We are pirates but I like to think of ourselves as the good kind. No stealing from civilians," Whitebeard said.

Namur replied with, "Then Ace needs to stop with the dine 'n dashes." But he sounded amused. Ace was notorious on the crew for eating out and then bailing before he had to pay. When they'd confronted him about it, he explained that it was something he had done since he was little. Speaking of the devil, Marco saw Ace come out of the Moby 2, which was gliding alongside the other. They were now full to capacity. No more would be coming before they had a new ship.

"I doubt that will happen for good," Marco replied, though in a fond voice as he looked at Ace, whose hair was a bit messy from sleep. It was midafternoon, so he was just having a nap. Sleeping seemed to be safe for him so far. There had been no nightmares for a while. Marco liked to think it was because of his presence.

The phoenix easily flew over to Ace, landing in front of him with a smile. "Sleep well?"

"Mm-hmm," Ace replied simply. "I missed a bed so much. I had to sleep wherever when on the hunt and then Impel Down wasn't exactly comfortable," he added. He noticed Marco's look change to one of dark and then nervous. "What's wrong?" the younger man asked worriedly.

Marco bit his lip, trying to think of a way to explain. "Well, some new developments have come. Looks like pirates who came back to life are finally back on the move, in the Grand Line and Blues. All of them. I don't doubt the world will struggle with overpopulation." Ace asked if anything more had been said about the different islands. "No, not in this paper. It's mostly focused on who came back to life. The bigwigs. Still nothing about us, surprisingly. But I don't doubt they know and just don't want to report it. After all, we hold a huge grudge against the marines and world government.

"Their hands will be full for awhile," he finished.

Surprisingly, Ace smiled. "Then we have less of an issue getting our loyal brothers back together," he said, and Marco caught the wording. He doubted Ace would easily forgive those that had abandoned the crew.

He put his hand on Ace's head. "Everyone makes mistakes, even our brothers. We will only see if they are loyal if they come back." Ace huffed. Marco knew it would take a lot of work for Ace to regain trust in much of his family, and many of his own division, which had been the heaviest hit after the war. Thatch's division left as well, but many had stayed behind as well. Even though they'd gone decades without a second division commander, after Ace left, they split up.

What made it worse was that Ace's old crew, the Spades who made up the second division, had been one of the firsts to leave. The ship hadn't addressed them. Marco knew they had still seen Ace as their captain, and with him gone, they had no desire to stick around. He knew Ace loved his old crew, but must have been hurt they didn't stay with people Ace found precious.

They would say nothing of the Spades until Ace brought them up, if he ever did. He hadn't even brought them up with Marco in private, which was a surprise so far. "Anyways, Pops and I need to talk to you," Marco said. Ace looked worried suddenly, but did ask if everything was okay when he climbed onto Marco's back to fly him over.

Ace hated flying, but it was the easiest way to get from the ship to the other. Marco had to fly people back and forth, but it wasn't tiring in any way. He landed softly on the ship, and Whitebeard grinned at Ace. "Have a nice nap?" Ace blushed and nodded.

"It's weird having my narcolepsy gone, but I still am used to sleeping a lot," Ace replied. "I mean, I really like not passing out into my food or during a fight. It's just strange to not have it." Whitebeard was the only one who could relate.

He agreed. "It's nice, but strange, not to have chest pains anymore. Maybe we're immortal, and can't get sick," he offered, though it was more of a joke than anything. Marco would like that. Not having to risk Pops or Ace dying of natural causes. That was mostly a problem for Pops. Ace was nowhere near the time to die of natural causes.

Ace smiled, liking the thought. "Then I wouldn't have to worry Marco, so I'm down for that."

Marco huffed, and said, "I'd still worry about you." Ace smiled back and Marco didn't want to ruin the good mood. He shared a glance with Whitebeard where the captain showed they needed to tell Ace and not brush it off because Ace was happy. "Anyways, why don't we go inside to talk?"

"Okay," Ace said, now sounding a bit concerned. Pops stood up, his knees not hurting while getting up off of the deck, and walked inside with his two sons. There were approximately 210 pirates split between both ships, and no one was comfortable right now. Whitebeard even shared his captain's quarters, as did Marco and Ace with others. It was necessary, they couldn't have anyone sleeping outside at night.

They entered the captain's room, and the bed was a mess. Pops never made his bed, but neither did Marco. Or really, any of the pirates but Vista and Izo. it wasn't like they had visitors to impress in their rooms. Well, Izo made his division make their bunks, but he was the only one who got on their case about it.

Ace sat on the huge bed next to Marco. "So what's wrong?" Ace asked, clearly knowing there was a problem specific for him, since he was the only one gathered.

Marco started. "You know how I said pirates were popping up again? Well, one specific to you has come up." Ace clearly understood who once his expression grew dark. Marco didn't have to continue.

"Roger?" Ace asked in a hard voice. Marco nodded. Ace growled, and Marco remembered just how much Ace despised him. "Do you think he'll do anything? Anything _more_ besides ruining my life until you guys came? Anything _more_ than a damn war? Anything more than _this?"_ Ace growled, harshly hitting the middle of his chest where the burn scar was hidden by the shirt.

Whitebeard had a hard face on. Marco knew he was conflicted about Ace's feelings of his biological father. On one hand, Whitebeard had been friends more than rivals with the previous pirate king. On the other, just having his blood had made Ace's childhood hell and the whole war happened because of his last name.

"That's not all, Ace," Whitebeard said in a stern voice. "I read some of the paper. They are monitoring Roger. And do you know he was not going to the Grand Line? He headed for the South Blue." The color drained from Ace's face. "Roger cares deeply about those he considers family, over adventure. Why else would he go to the South Blue, where you were born."

Ace was not happy, and was actually glaring at the captain. "He left her, why would he go back?!" he raged, surprising Marco and Whitebeard with the pure vitriol in his voice.

Marco didn't say a thing. He wasn't close to Roger like Pops was. But, he did take Ace's hand when it started to fist in the fabric of the shirt, over his fatal wound.

"Roger was very in love with your mother. He praised her to me all the time. It was almost embarrassing how much he gushed about Rouge. I have no doubt in my mind that he is heading to see if she is alive. _But,_ do _not_ get your hopes up. There are islands that have no recorded people coming back to life.

"But the fact is that Roger is alive. Your mother is a possibility, but Roger is back. At least, for now. He will not get here anytime soon. You don't need to worry about it, but we did not want to lie or hide it from you."

Marco pushed a strand of hair out of Ace's face. "We both know how much you despise him. But, you've already paid for that blood in full. You _died_ because of it, Ace. It's not a pretty thing to remember, but the moment you passed away, that moment you 'paid the price' of your heritage. He will know who you are. Your bounty says your full name. It does not mean he knows you or Pops is alive. Neither of you have been mentioned in the paper yet. But, it's bound to happen once we step into the spotlight again.

"But for now, we will work on building our family back together. And you are _Pops'_ son, not Roger's," Marco said softly but also with a firm voice. Ace was coming down from his anger, and apologized for his outburst.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. Part of me knew it was a possibility, but I just ignored it. I'm sorry for yelling," Ace said sincerely. "Just… a lot of bad stuff happened because of him. And I don't want to meet mom."

Marco and Whitebeard were shocked and confused. They knew Ace adored his mother, very different from how he felt about his biological father. "Why not?" Marco asked quietly.

Ace's answer was simple and heartbreaking. "She died because of me. Why would she ever want to see me?"

Marco's gaze flicked to the captain, who looked very sad as well. "Ace, only a mother who truly loves her child would put her body through what she did to save them. She defied biology to save you. How one _earth_ could she not want to meet you?" the captain asked softly.

Ace looked confused, like he'd never thought of it that way. Marco or the captain had never met Rouge, but they knew based on the feat she'd accomplished that she adored Ace, whether he was born yet or not. She would no doubt want to meet her beloved child. But that would mean Ace would need to meet Roger, the man he might just hate more than Teach.

The first mate could see Roger not understanding why Ace would despise and not want to meet him. He was a happy and clever man, but an idiot all the same. So, Ace was no doubt at war with himself. He'd either meet neither or them, or both of them. If Rouge was even alive.

But, if she wasn't alive, Roger would still look for Ace. And once Pops and Ace reveal themselves, then he'd be back in the paper, the Whitebeards back under the public and government's eyes. Ace would be easy to track down for Roger.

Damn it! Why did Roger have to come back? It was just going to complicate things, when Ace needed things simple and concise to help him heal the mental scars that Marineford gave him. Marco knew it was the right thing to tell him, he'd find out even if they had kept it from them, but Marco wished they hadn't had to in the first place.

"Ace, we have told you about it before, and I will say it again. Roger is not a hateful man. It was his status that made him a demon to most. Roger didn't hurt citizens, he wasn't a public menace. He didn't go after people and kill them for fun. He is only a demon to the public eye for starting the Great Pirate Era and for his success in life. Finding the One Piece and being the pirate king," Whitebeard explained.

Ace frowned. "Luffy will be the new pirate king. Roger needs to step down." Marco cracked a smile.

Whitebeard laughed. "Roger stepped down the moment he challenged the world to find the greatest treasure. I'm sure he'd be rooting Luffy on. After all, he went into a war to save his son, and Shanks has given him his approval. I don't think Luffy will have competition from Roger."

Ace crossed his arms and nodded his head once. "Good. I won't let him ruin Luffy's dream."

Marco kissed his forehead. "The model big brother, you are." Ace blushed, red cheeks and nose under the freckles that had to have come from his mother. "Now, let's move on from this. Our objective is to rebuild our family, and then our reputation. To do that, we will take down that traitor. Repay him for all he's done to us. Roger has no part in those goals, so let's not even think about him. Okay?" Ace nodded.

But Ace was snappish the rest of the day, and was distant whenever he was alone. He stood at the railing of the Moby 2 for hours, just staring out at the horizon. Marco gave him space to think but checked on him every hour. He had to, he worried over Ace. He worried that this made things worse. They just had to hope that Ace could see what they did. He'd paid for his blood. It shouldn't be a burden to him anymore, but you can't just will away years of hate burned into him from a child.

**So, Roger is alive. He has a big part in the story, so we'll be seeing him eventually.**


	6. Feeling Like An Outsider

#### Iris Viggiano: They will have a few chapters to themselves. I think everyone will really like them. And how I portrayed Rouge, since we don't know much about her personality. 

#### LadyAzabacheDark: Oden will not be in this story. When I wrote this I hadn't even gotten to the boiling scene yet, so I didn't know. Plus, people don't know who he is well who have only watched the anime. Only people that have been in the anime. So Wano is untouched besides a few references to Luffy being there at the moment.

#### Tsuyu15: Nothing too graphic, but they do make references to sexy times. If you want some steaminess, I posted another Marco x Ace story with some smut. 

#### OtakuPie: <3 <3

#### Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: :D

#### Otaku_Girl2176: ;)

#### SofiaEALira: Don't be anxious, be excited! I think everyone will like those chapters.

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####  **So many comments! This story is so much more popular on ao3 than ff.net. I've noticed most of my romance stories are more popular here. I wonder why. And OMG I can't wait to post chapter 10. I think it'll make people happy. And the Roger and Rouge chapter is coming closer. I look forward to posting that one as well. Including them had been a last minute thing since I'd never really read or written stories with them in it. I decided to after reading a story featuring Roger. So why not have a chapter for them meeting Ace? Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Ace had his first nightmare that night since they'd gotten on the ships. It wasn't so much a nightmare as a memory. Of his death. His dying words and the devastation he saw on Luffy's face. He woke up screaming, grabbing at his intact chest desperately. He must have woken the whole ship, and Marco cradled him immediately, shushing him as he hyperventilated.

"Breathe, Ace. It's just a memory. It can't hurt you anymore. You're alive, Pops is alive, Luffy is alive," Marco soothed, and Ace slowly started breathing regularly. Marco rubbed his chest through his nightshirt. "Shh, baby, everything is fine. You're back and home, where you belong."

Ace broke into tears, sobbing. The other commanders in the room were kind enough to not look, and pretend to sleep. Ace knew some were awake, but they kept quiet. He was humiliated, but he felt they would understand if they knew what the nightmare was about. Ace would say something the next day, though what else could it be that brought out such a reaction?

"S-Sorry, M-Marco," Ace sputtered. "I didn't mean to wa-wake you up." Marco kissed Ace's forehead and told him it was no problem. Ace leaned into his embrace, but couldn't fall back to sleep for many reasons. He pretended so Marco would go back to sleep, and it worked since Marco was snoozing in no time.

He couldn't stop thinking about it, the pain, Luffy's face. He'd made a foolish boast. To say he would never die was irresponsible. He wanted to see Luffy. He wanted to make sure he was okay, scold him for being reckless and praise him for getting so strong. He hoped everything was alright, and he was in Wano now.

Ace remembered Wano with fond memories, and wondered if Tama had met Luffy yet. She would like him. His mind wandered from pain and misery to days of scavenging for food for the villagers, making straw baskets. Those thoughts lulled him back to sleep, and he didn't have another nightmare.

In the morning, at breakfast, made by some of the returned fourth division members, Ace sat with the commanders who had been in the room last night. "Guys? I'm sorry for waking you up last night. I just… dreamt of… you know," Ace said awkwardly. Haruta patted him on the back with a smile.

"If I were you, I'd be having nightly nightmares. We understand, you don't need to apologize," the small commander said with a grin as the other commanders nodded in agreement. Ace thanked them with a genuine smile and went back to the food. Marco wasn't there, having gone to see Pops since the island was nearing. They'd made good time and avoided storms. And the marines were so busy with the overflow of new people that they didn't pay much attention to the two ships.

Plus, there were other pirates they were more worried about. After all, no one knew about Ace and Whitebeard or their plans to rebuild the family. And that was good. Maybe Roger would be a distraction so big they wouldn't even think of the Whitebeards. Though, he knew that was unrealistic. They'd killed Ace and then the captain. Surely the whole crew would hold a mammoth grudge on the world government and marines.

The good thing about the whole situation, in Ace's eyes, was that there was no real reason so far that this had happened. There was nothing in common between islands. One island would have no one alive, another would have people from two years, and another would have one from tweny six years.

Ace was naturally curious, but it wasn't what he was focused on. He wanted his family put back together. That was his mission, he didn't care about the mystery of the people coming back from the dead. And there had been no instances of anyone going zombie and eating others.

By nature, Ace wasn't concerned over himself much. He didn't really care about what happened next, as long as his family and Pops were safe. Health concerns, psh! Whatever happened would happen. There was no stopping it. Marco did his check ups, but nothing was out of place so far. And he didn't concern himself over it.

What he didn't like was remembering the conversation he'd had yesterday. He was still irate with Roger being alive again, but he was more focused on the prospect of his mother. He'd never met her, had nothing of hers, and Garp barely knew her. All Ace knew was that she saved him and died giving birth to him. He killed her. But, he wanted to meet her, or at least know that she got a second chance when he took away her first.

The commanders were summoned after breakfast, and both ships dropped anchor at the same time, close enough to the other ship to have a conversation without Marco having to fly all of them to Pops' ship.

"Now, sons, we are docking on the island in two hours. We can see it on the horizon. Be prepared for panic. This island is not under protection, and we're going to offer it to them in exchange for a ship. They may think we're enemies until we prove otherwise. We will be on our best behavior while we are here. _No_ criminal activity. Looking at you, Ace," Whitebeard said. Ace knew he was talking about the dine 'n dashes.

"I'll be on my best behavior," Ace promised. Whitebeard then looked to every other man on his ship and the Moby 2. They all, in one voice, said they would be on their best behavior, though it was worded differently by many. So it was just 210 voices talking over on another, but Pops got the meaning.

Everyone seemed very excited to land, and get a new ship. Ace was lost in his thoughts, wishing he could see Luffy soon. Or Sabo, if that jerk actually _was_ his Sabo. His and Luffy's Sabo. He hadn't thought much of him, not wanting to get his hopes up. But Luffy had supposedly met with him. Maybe it really was him.

But… why did he not visit them? If he was alive? And Ace and Luffy were in the newspaper constantly those years ago, how did he not see them or want to see either brother? Well, he shouldn't think of those things when they were on a mission. A new ship, a new territory.

Ace touched the black shirt he was wearing in shame. But, it wasn't like he was desecrating the mark and hiding it. The whole tattoo was _gone._ Just faint purple on the very outsides. He'd get a new one somewhere else. He didn't think he could tattoo over the scar completely. It would still be raised and tough skin. He liked going shirtless and showing off the pride on his back. But those days were over now.

He put his hat on. At least he still had that. And his beads, which he still had no idea how they had all been picked up and put back together.

The two ships docked at the same port, and they saw just how bad this island was off. There was trash everywhere, all along the treeline and floating in the water. They could see into the town, and it looked like a rough place. They could do with a yonko's protection, even if he might not be considered an official one.

The pirates disembarked but some who would watch both ships. The moment people saw them in the town, panic came. Whitebeard had his bisernto, cape and bandana on. He looked just how he had before, only now he had scars and his hated half-mustache. While he truly despised it, more than a few jokes were made at his expense about it. But he took it like a champ, and just laughed with them.

"AHH! It's Whitebeard!"

"Why is _he_ back?!"

"Run!"

The commanders lead the group after Pops, who looked unphased by everything going on. Ace hadn't been mentioned by anyone, but he was not the huge one with a massive weapon, so it was understandable. Plus, he wasn't doing anything to stand out now.

They headed deeper into town, where they saw a group of clearly pirates harassing women and drinking. Some came out of a bar, the sounds of breaking glass following.

"Sons, if this is going to be our island, we have to protect its people," Whitebeard said, and it was enough for the crew to go after the pirates who clearly were not welcome or wanted. The Whitebeards beat them up and tied them up in a clearing, breaking their weapons. Citizens watched in shock and awe. Whitebeard watched and then asked for directions to the mayor, or whoever was in charge.

Ace and the commanders followed while a group of them stayed back. Even at their small number, the Whitebeards completely outmanned the various crews that had all been taken care of at the same time.

The yonko crew saw how bad a shape the buildings were. They needed to be repaired, and they would gladly help if it gained them this island's resources for building a ship. They needed a new Moby Dick. Pops would choose the model, and Ace wondered what it would be. He knew it wouldn't be made in exactly the Moby's design. At least, he didn't think so. But it would be It would be wrong to sail on an imposter ship. It would have to be big again. Might take a long time. But, they would be patient.

When they reached the only building in pristine condition, Marco headed inside to get the mayor someone else's attention. Pops couldn't fit through the building's doorway. The commanders and crowd of others that had not stayed on the ship or behind to watch the enemies all sat on the cobblestone ground.

Ace watched when the mayor came out, short and with a cane. He was reminded of the mayor from Foosha village. Luffy's hometown's mayor. "Y-Yes?" the little man asked with a shaking voice.

Marco and Ace stood at Pops' side, along with the other ten commanders, all in a line. "We are not here to hurt anyone. We've neutralized the pirates who are clearly not welcome here. We would like to bargain." Ace was impressed with the mayor. He may seem frightened, but not cowed.

"What do you want?" he asked, with suspicion light in his voice.

"We need a new ship. In exchange, I will take this island under my protection. And we will fix up your desecrated buildings. To have our flag be effective, we will reveal ourselves after we are prepared to leave. Do we have a deal?" the yonko said in a calm voice, trying not to be scary.

Ace was surprised by the grin that broke out across the mayor's face. "Yes! We will build you a ship! Please, protect my island!" Ace frowned, sure that this island had gone through hell without being a yonko's territory.

The pirates broke into grins, and Whitebeard laughed. "You have a deal! This island is now under my protection! I must warn you, we will need a very large ship."

The mayor, Corey as he introduced himself, agreed. "I know the size of your old ship. The ship builders are at the other side of the island. That's where they get the trees," Mayor Corey said. "I will call the main crafters here at once!"

"No rush, good man. It seems we will be staying here awhile. And while we are here, my men will protect the land. After that, we will raise a flag and you will tell us if anyone threatens you," Whitebeard said happily. The crew cheered about getting a new ship. A new home that they could all be on together. And have their own rooms instead of ten in a room with some people having to share mattresses.

No one was going to mention payment. They wanted to keep that money to furnish the ship and to get supplies and food. The commanders shared drinks while Whitebeard and Marco left to meet with the shipbuilders.

Automatically, after a reasonable amount of drinks and some food, the pirates got to work helping the citizens. It was their duty now to take care of this island and its people. At first, the citizens were clearly scared until Mayor Corey's wife approached and gave everyone the good news, tearfully. They must have been through a very tough time. And Ace wondered why none of the other yonkos had claimed this place. It was strange, but good for them.

Later that day, Marco flew back to Ace and landed in a group of commanders, all drinking and eating, so happy to feel normal again. Ace didn't know how they felt. He was disconnected from the shared pain they'd all had as forced separation. He couldn't partake in their feelings. But he felt happy to be all together again, even if those who had left were no longer there. Commanders, the last four that weren't there, were on islands further away in hiding. They would be staying there for a while unless they found another ride here.

"Well, we are going to have a ship, but it will be 750 square feet smaller than the Moby was. But, that's still more than enough room for those who wish to come back. The design is similar to the Moby Dick, but not the same. The sails will be different, since they don't build ships like that on this island," Marco explained, drinking from Ace's beer bottle that he'd handed to him.

The pirates cheered, toasting to the new ship and their new family. Because it _was_ new. Many weren't there and the relationships had changed. At least a little bit. Ace felt like an outsider, and he didn't like the feeling. He couldn't share in the pain with them, and it made him feel awkward even being there for the conversation.

So, he got up and walked away, planning on exploring the little town. There were no orders to stay put. But Izo followed. "Ace, wait," Izo called, and Ace turned to face him. He plastered a smile on his face. But Izo was always intuitive and frowned at him, as if saying "Don't you even try it with me". Ace dropped the look.

"Why are you leaving?" he asked carefully. Ace looked down and poked his booted toe on the dirt.

"You guys all get to catch up. I can't share that with you. You all went through so much crap and hardship, and I didn't. I was dead, didn't have to feel the pain of the family falling apart at the seams. I'm an outsider in this," Ace explained honestly. Izo would know he was lying if he tried.

The man sighed, and walked up to Ace. Izo wasn't usually very comforting or touchy, but he took Ace into a hug. "You're always welcome, even if you don't feel like you are. Just… don't go too far, okay? We can't help but worry, you know?" Ace sniffled and nodded.

"I won't go far," he promised. Izo put a hand on Ace's cheek and brushed the tear away. He smiled.

Ace smiled back, a genuine one. "We really missed you. When we have a new ship, and our family is put back together, as best it can be, I'll even help you with pranks." Ace grinned, and thanked Izo, who turned and walked back to the group.

The word "prank" had brought back memories of Thatch. His closest brother besides Marco. He looked at his feet as he walked to the forest. He wanted to climb a tree for some reason. On his walk, he lamented the decision to burn Thatch's body. That he could have come back, too. But there was no going back.

He missed Thatch. He was an outsider with that as well. It had been over two and a half years since Thatch's death for everyone else, where it was only a few months for Ace. He felt like he'd been frozen for two years and woke up in a slightly different world. Even if most things were the same, he felt like a time traveler, gone into a future he didn't recognize.

Finding a good tree, Ace looked up and saw nice, thick branches. He climbed up the trunk, going for the highest one, climbing expertly, like it hadn't been over a decade since he last climbed to his and Sabo's treasure stash.

He hated it, but when he thought of Sabo now, it wasn't of bittersweetness. He was angry. He would always love Sabo, his Sabo, but _why_ didn't he come and find Ace or Luffy? Well, maybe Sabo would try and find Ace when he realized he was alive again. If Sabo apologized, gave him a good reason, Ace would easily forgive him. And it was sort of revenge for not making contact by stealing back the flame-flame fruit. The fire power was Ace's. It was his. Not Sabo's. Just like Pops' power was his, _not Teach's._

Ace knew that he had no right to be the one to kill Teach. He'd tried and he had failed spectacularly. He sighed, not enjoying the thoughts he was having. They jumped from person to person, sad topic to sad topic. In the span of two minutes, he'd lamented about Thatch, grown angry at Sabo, wished he could see Luffy soon, hated Roger and felt confusion about his mother. It was like an emotional whirlwind that could leave Ace dizzy.

He looked up at the blue sky, remembering his time in Impel Down, when all he wanted to see clouds and feel the sun. The smell of the sea, and not the sewage rot in level six. If only Luffy had gotten to him ten minutes earlier. Everything could have been avoided. But it was completely unreasonable to be mad at Luffy for not making it in time. He didn't want Luffy in that hell in the first place. He knew it had been very hard on his body. After all, he came into the war looking sickly. Sweaty, covered in blood with a red face, showing fever most likely. Ace didn't want to know what had happened to him in that place to make him so ill.

Ace shook his head, trying to calm his mind. He didn't want to think anymore, and instead tried to nap against the tree trunk, and fell asleep. Hopefully with no nightmare or he'd fall out of the tree. He did fall asleep, and did not have a nightmare.

Marco landed next to him on the branch when Ace was awake, legs hanging over the side with one hand against the trunk as he looked over the sea in front of him. "Hey, how are you doing?" Marco asked, sitting down, wings of blue flame now back to his normal arms.

"I'm fine. You know, when we have some true privacy, I'm gonna jump you. Be prepared, _captain Marco,_ " Ace said with a cheeky grin. Marco laughed and played along, grinning.

"Maybe we can ask for thicker walls so your screams and moans won't wake up Haruta like they used to," Marco purred, and Ace's face turned bright red. Marco laughed at it as Ace floundered.

"You win. But it's not like you're quiet either, you know?"

"Never said I was." Ace grinned at him and leaned against him. "I love you."

"Love you more."

"Not possible," Marco replied simply.

"Whatever you say," Ace said softly, head on Marco's shoulder. He was so happy to be with Marco again. And he still really digged the glasses.


	7. Rebirth of the Whitebeard Pirates

#### Iris Viggiano: When they meet it's super touching. I think I did good with the Roger and Rouge chapters. Hope people agree with that!

#### Jennifer_Rod: Luffy isn't seen in this one since he's at Wano, but the other three just might show up, who knows? ;) 

**Otaku_Girl2176: I'm glad.**

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: I wish I got the secret formula to a hugely popular fic. Hasn't happened yet, but hopefully some day, lol.**

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**So I started posting an ASL and Law fic, LawLu eventually. Then I also posted a one shot, the plot something like I've never done before. Anyways, Roger and Rouge will be the focus of both the next chapter and the following. Fluffy goodness in this one. Enjoy~**

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Marco helped with building the ship, flying wood up to the workers as they diligently built the next home of the Whitebeard pirates. The others, now totaling 232 people, were on the island doing various things besides Fossa, who was helping out with building. After all, he was the shipwright and would be taking care of the ship.

The only commanders who weren't back yet were Blehnehim, Speed Jiro, Balmenco, and of course Thatch. His seat would remain empty for a while most likely. The twenty people who arrived since they had landed and were stationed there had taken their own ship there after getting a call from one of the commanders. They were the first of those who deserted to come back. To say Ace was not welcoming was an understatement. Even after they were all so happy to see him alive, Ace stormed off.

Marco hadn't gone after him, instead comforting those who left. He held no grudge against them. They proved loyalty by coming back. He had told them that Ace was having trouble with forgiveness. At least the men weren't part of his own division. Only three of those from his division were still around. It was a blow to him. Marco knew that.

It was clear that his division was very much more attached to him than they were to the previous commander, since he left as well and didn't come back. But many of them had joined after that, so they all weren't just favoring the current ove the previous. Though Pops had been there, then. Marco did his best to focus on the work, helping to build the ship. Which was going to be called The Whale. It was another name for Moby Dick. They wanted to keep some of the name as a tribute, but it would also be a bit different.

Pops was never an artist, so Izo designed the figurehead based on Pops vision. It was not blue, but a gray whale head. Not a blue whale but more looked like a humpback, with little knobs dotted below the chin of it. There was no blue on the side of the ship, instead there was green. The green of kelp. The sails were to be vastly different. So, it was a successor of the Moby Dick but it was new, and not the same. Similar, but nothing would be what the Moby had been for many decades.

"Marco!" he heard Ace's voice shout from below. He smiled and flew down, landing in front of his lover. "Brought you lunch," he said, holding up a bento. Ace brought him one at lunch time every day, giving Marco a break from working. It was nice and the zoan appreciated it. Ace didn't cook them himself, a nice woman he seemed to have clicked with cooked him the food.

In the two weeks they'd been there, no one had come and no one had left, besides those who returned to the crew. The pirates that were originally there had been killed out of precaution to not let anyone know about their presence on the island too early. Apparently, those pirates had been terrorizing the village for a while, so they were glad the menaces were gone for good.

"Thanks, babe," Marco said, kissing Ace's cheek. Marco wasn't wearing a shirt since he got so sweaty from working out and carrying heavy things. Ace looked to the progress of the ship. It was going well, at a fast pace since there was no one who had visited the island to get new ships.

This island was definitely not like Water 7, which was always busy. This one was not busy one bit, and they had an abundance of supplies. It was convenient. Apparently word had gotten out about the pirates who were there for so long so no one came anymore. It was out of the way, so many ships did not pass it.

"How's it going?" Ace wondered, sitting with Marco as he dug into the food.

Marco swallowed before replying, "On our way. Should be another two weeks before it's finished. Then we gotta furnish it. They offered to do it for free, but Pops asked for it to at most be a discount. We did not have enough money to buy everything, so they agreed to give us furniture for half price. It's a great deal." Ace smiled, and Marco grinned back. They were going to have a new home. It would not have the memories that the Moby Dick had, which was a tragedy. Thatch would never have cooked in the new kitchen, though maybe that would be a good thing.

His division members and sou chefs won't have memories of Thatch working alongside them in that kitchen. "Thinking about Thatch?" Ace asked sadly, and Marco looked surprised and asked how he knew. "You make a face when you think about him. Scrunch your bottom lip together," the logia explained softly.

Marco sighed and leaned his head on Ace's shoulder. "If only we didn't cremate him. At the time, it was the right thing to do… but he could have come back to us. I know it's harder for you, as it's only been months for you. We've all moved on, even if we will always miss him.

"But, we just have to finally kill Teach and avenge him," Marco finished, planting a kiss on Ace's clothed shoulder. He missed seeing Ace's skin and his tattoo. But the burn scar was so bad it gave him panic attacks, so Marco did not want Ace to see it. He missed the tattoo. Hopefully, someday Ace would get another tattoo on his back, showing he didn't let his death control his life.

Ace nodded. "I don't have the right to be the one to do it. I already failed once at it," he said softly, looking at those working on their new ship.

Marco frowned, and replied, "Teach's power is too overpowered. That fruit is the worst thing that ever happened to our crew. He even nullified Pops' power. If he couldn't stand up to Teach and win, then none of us could."

"Pops was already mortally wounded. When I fought Teach, I was perfectly healthy," Ace argued. Marco knew Ace would not change his view on this anytime soon, so Marco didn't dispute him. Instead, he said, "If you don't want to, you won't be the one to kill him. You can focus on burning his crew members to death."

Ace nodded again. "I'm down for that," he said strongly. Marco smiled against his cheek. He said he should get back to work and thanked him for the lunch he'd practically inhaled. Usually, he wouldn't eat that fast, but he wanted this ship done as soon as possible. To make the world know they were back. Most of the commanders were back. They were strong, even if many of their crew were gone. Plus, they had a perfectly healthy captain with them.

They would make contact with all of their allies as well. Their den dens were in the Moby 3 at the moment. Marco hoped they would still be their allies even after losing so many people in the failed attempt to rescue Ace. Hopefully, they moved on as well and looked past the war.

He watched as Ace left to talk to Pops, who was also helping out. Ace handed him the newspaper that was sticking out of his pocket. Then he left, going back to town, probably to look out for any pirates. They'd moved both ships to the dock closer to the place that the new ship was being built.

Marco knew Pops was a bit down about having a different ship than the one he'd sailed on for over fifty years, but it was to make new memories and have everyone together. It would be a big help to rebuild their home and family. Seeing the Moby burn was hard and devastating for everyone, especially those who'd been there longest. But he was also happy to have a new home.

The similarities compared to the first ship was a tribute to their home. Marco had to remind himself often that Ace and Whitebeard had only had Marineford happen a few weeks ago. Ace was doing well, considering. He had no panic attacks when the war and his scar weren't mentioned or seen. Though he was having bad dreams more often. He didn't like sharing them with Marco, which hurt a little bit. Though he knew what the majority of them were, when he was grabbing at his chest.

He got back to work, lifting things for the shipbuilders. They worked day and night, trying to get the ship finished as soon as possible. The other pirates came often to help out. They mostly followed the orders of the professionals, also wanting the ship to be finished soon.

They would all have prefered to have the ship made of Adam's wood, but they didn't have the money or resources for that. This would have to be good enough. To get money they just had to take on some marine bases and steal all they had. Or any pirates that they came across.

Dinner that night was a party because a small ship of the fourth division had arrived. A party was thrown every time. The villagers celebrated with them as well, and they were welcomed. They cooked for the crew, while the pirates went hunting in the populous woods.

Life there was relaxing, spending time with one another with no worries in the world. Things would be back to normal. Not the same, but normal with family back together. They'd make do with the small crew right now. It was not small to many other crews, but it was tiny compared to what they originally had.

Two weeks later, the pirates got together to paint The Whale colors that were not like the original. Where the figurehead was supposed to be grey, it was a light green along the sides. It didn't look like any real whale, but they needed at least some differences bsides the sails. Furnishing the ship was enjoyable, and they paid with half of their money for furniture and supplies for every room. The kitchen was updated compared to what it was before, and the sails were less than they had been on the Moby Dick, though they'd be easier to furl when needed.

Ace and Marco's room had the huge bed, like before, some comfy chairs, and dressers. The homey decorations that had once been there had burned once the Moby Dick had died and turned to ash. The ship's library had no books, which was sad. They'd lost so much property when their home had been destroyed. But, they'd get new ones, no matter how time consuming it would be to fill the library once again.

Food and supplies were bought, but nowhere near the amount they'd usually gotten, since the crew was about ⅛ of what it had been before, which was good. They didn't spend all of their limited supply of money.

The day before they were to depart, Pops made contact with all of their allies. To say they were excited and overjoyed to hear Pops', and Ace's, voices was an understatement. They all agreed wholeheartedly that they would continue to be allies. And they were glad to be. Pops caught up with all of them happily, and apologized for not winning the war.

Their allies were good sports about it, which Marco was grateful for. Pops didn't need to feel any more guilt. Ace didn't either. None of the New World pirates made any word of blame to either of the resurrected pirates.

Plus, many of their crew that had died had come back, and they were picking them up just like the remains of the Whitebeards had done and were still doing. It was a good day. A very good one, and the crew were glad to have another ship. They would still keep the Moby 2 and 3, sailing alongside the main ship. They couldn't lose those ships, they were important for going on missions once things were back to normal.

The new ship sailed like a dream. It was smooth and quite elegant. The sails worked just fine, and the pirates gave so much thanks to the workers, giving them the Whitebeard flag to put on a pole near the harbor. No one would challenge them once they knew Whitebeard was back in action.

Since Haruta had important maps, they were heading to the nearest marine base, which was not too far from the island they'd claimed. Ace and Whitebeard were surprised with how many marine bases had been built in two years. They really did populate much of the New World, but Pops wasn't concerned. He was at full power.

They met marines on their way, and Pops destroyed their ship proudly, but not before they started screaming and panicking about Whitebeard being alive again, along with Ace, who helped torch them, a bright grin on his face as he was back in action when he hadn't been for too long. The crew cheered at their returned commander and captain, and how much fun both of them had.

"Well, time to go to a marine base, sons! And all of you may fight!" The pirates broke into loud cheers. Marco hadn't seen them all this happy since before Thatch was killed. The ship gladly sailed to the nearest marine base, where Ace was in the crowsnest. Marco could see him over the side, grinning widely. It was a wonderful sight, even if Marco knew it wouldn't last for forever. But for now, Ace was happy and Marco was grateful.

He flew up and landed next to Ace. "I thought you were going to jump me when we had privacy. You know we got here yesterday. We had all night last night to get it on," he said with a cheeky grin, Ace grinned and blushed.

"We'll have some fun tonight, _captain_ Marco," Ace purred. It was Marco's turn to blush, and Ace broke into laughter. Marco loved the sound, and sat next to Ace, kissing him passionately, opening his lips with his tongue before tilting his head. Ace returned the kiss just as fiercely. Groping each other through their clothes was the most intimate they'd been since reuniting. Marco looked forward to that night.

And that night was wonderful. Not just because it had been over two years since he made love, but because he was with Ace again, who was very enthusiastic in bed, and Marco loved it. They fought for dominance for much of it, kissing messily while both of them attempted to top. It was wonderful, and Marco fell asleep after Ace, tears of happiness in his eyes.

Ace was back for good, and Marco was never letting him go again.

The next day, it appeared that they did not have to go to a marine base to be noticed. Ace and Whitebeard's bounty posters returned, higher than they'd been before, though Ace still hadn't passed his little brother. Whitebeard laughed about it, grinning. Ace beamed as well, as it had jumped 100,000,000. He was now at 650,000,000 berries. Still had a long way to go to catch up to Luffy.

"I hope he sees it in the paper soon, but Wano doesn't get news from outside the territory," Marco explained, earning a pout from the firecracker, though he knew that from experience. Didn't mean he liked it, though..

But, even if they were already known, they needed money and would get it from a marine base, and show that Pops was still in control of _his_ power. Plus, the pirates were itching for a fight, since Ace and Whitebeard had taken on the other marine ship.

They were to meet the three commanders who were still not there at the island with the marine base since they'd been on a smaller ship, picking them up along with those who'd remained on their division. Soon, all of the commanders would be back, their family fitting more puzzle pieces together.

After Ace hung the wanted poster on their wall that night, Marco watched him deflate a bit, sitting on the bed. Marco rubbed his back, knowing what he was upset about. "He would have found out eventually. I wish we could learn if your mother is back," Marco said. Ace nodded. They didn't talk anymore about Roger or Rouge. Instead, they took a shower together, again, Marco not letting Ace see the burn scar, and washing his back and chest so he didn't feel the texture and raised skin.

When he changed his shirt, Ace did it with his eyes closed. "I'll need to get a new tattoo soon," Ace said lightly. "Probably on my other shoulder. Nowhere else to put it since I'm wearing shirts now."

Marco kissed the nape of his neck. "I'm sure Izo will be happy to do it. So, I have to tell you something about Luffy," Marco said in a cautious voice. He hadn't brought this up before. But maybe it would help heal Ace a bit. Just a bit, he still had a long way to go.

"What is it?" Ace asked. Worry seeped into his voice. Marco pushed the wet hair out of Ace's face.

"He got burned by Akainu as well. That's the only thing that could have caused the huge burn scar on his chest. It was after we let him get away. I heard Jinbei got it bad, too. He protected Luffy. But anyways, the burn is bad. But now he wears an open shirt, showing it to the world," Marco explained softly.

Ace looked upset, but took a deep breath, probably thinking that he was alive and that was all that mattered. "I don't know if I can be him. At least, not with my back."

Marco smiled reassuringly. "You used to wear open shirts, remember? You could get a new mark on your chest and stomach, like mine. Then, I'll be able to see your sexy abs, too. A win-win situation," Marco joked. Ace smiled lightly.

"I think that's a very good idea," he said, and Marco was overjoyed. Izo would be so happy to tattoo Ace again, and cover that horrible reminder of Ace's death.

They waited until after the marine base attack to do the tattoo. The pirates flooded into the base, while two commanders and twelve men waited on the ships to protect it. They brutally killed all of the marines, a taste of revenge over their father and Ace's deaths. Ace and Whitebeard turned on one of the video den dens and Pops made a little speech about being back, and taking back his yonko position. He said nothing as a threat to Teach.

"We're back and at full power. You marines should be worried," he said with a grin, Ace flipping the den den off as it recorded them while Marco watched from the side, and knew the video was being broadcasted to every marine base. Hopefully Akainu saw it. Of course he would, he was fleet admiral now. Marco wondered if Garp was happy to see Ace alive again, even if he was going to be a pain for the marines once again.

Whitebeard then left the base, and destroyed it completely with his power. He was still a master at it, able to only destroy the base and not the island or town on it. The pirates threw a party on the ship, both Mobys stationed behind The Whale. The name didn't fit as well as the Moby Dick, but they couldn't rename it now. If only they hadn't named the other ships the Moby 1 and 2. They could have named it Moby Dick 2.

Oh well, it was home now.

-x-

Ace got the new tattoo the day after the party in the tattoo room. It used to be in one of the bedrooms, but Izo had requested one for him. Ace laid on his back, and Izo tattooed over the burn, then covering the scar with skin colored ink to get rid of the remaining pinkish-white flesh. By the time Ace looked down, he saw his tattoo, only on his front now. He couldn't even see the burn anymore.

He had tears in his eyes as he thanked Izo, who had tears in his eyes as well. Now, Ace wouldn't have to see the reminder of that day. He could feel the textured skin, but not seeing it was wonderful. Now he just had to not look at his back, or show it to anyone.

He proudly went out on deck to see most of the commanders, Pops on his new chair and no longer on the deck, and many of his underlings. Most were not his division, and he hoped his old crew would rejoin. He was still upset they left, but he cared about them dearly, and missed them. Deuce especially. Deuce was his second best friend after Sabo.

The pirates cheered at his new tattoo, which was a bit pink around the outside and he had a clear bandage over it. Whitebeard grinned, and Ace beamed back. "Thank you, son," the captain said, surprising Ace. Why was he thanking him? The father saw the look of confusion, and added, "Thank you for wearing my mark proudly, even if it is in a hard place to deal with. It warms my heart."

Ace blushed, but smiled nonetheless. "I'm back, Pops."

"Indeed you are."

Ace knew things would never be perfect for him. He'd always have some level of low-self esteem. He'd always feel bad about Marineford, but hopefully this was a step in the right direction. Marco came up from behind him, hugging him from behind. "Now we match," he said happily.

Ace chuckled. "Not exactly, but close," he said. Marco kissed him on the neck. He'd been much more affectionate publicly after Ace came back alive, and he could understand why. If Marco had been the one to die, then he would probably be like that, too. And he had no problem with it. He turned around to see Marco out of the white shirt he'd been wearing and into a more open chested one.

Running his hand down Marco's toned stomach, he said, "I like this outfit much better." Marco smiled, though his cheeks were slightly pink.

"Well, I'm back on the crew. Of course I'll show my mark," the phoenix replied. "And I like this outfit much more," he added, running his hand on Ace's pectorals where the bandage wasn't. Ace felt his face get hot, and Haurta called, "No groping in front of your brothers!" The deck had laughter, and Marco replied.

He smirked slyly and said, "You're just jealous." Ace snorted, and his lover and Haruta got into a ridiculous argument that was quite entertaining, and things felt good. They were still looking for their crew, had to find and make Teach pay, and see Luffy once he left Wano, however long that took. And to find his stupid brother Sabo. But in that moment, things were good. Felt back to normal.

For once in a while, he truly felt that things would be alright. He wouldn't ever be perfect. But he was happy now, and knew he'd be happy in the future, no matter how much sadness was dotted across it.

Ace could see just how much the crew had missed each other in the following days as they headed to an island they knew had some of their members. Rarely did they leave the deck or go inside alone. They spent all their time in one big group or a bunch of smaller ones. And almost no one left Pops out on deck alone. Ace didn't think that it was for protection, since he was stronger than before Marineford. They just missed him. And Ace could understand. He'd missed him and everyone after he left to pursue Teach.

They also didn't like leaving Ace alone, which he was happy with unless he got overwhelmed and needed a break.

The crew ran into a pirate ship, and looted them as well. With their treasure and what they'd gotten from the marine base, along with the remaining money after buying the furniture for the ship, they had 500,000,000 berries. Enough for a while. They really spent much less money on food and water for the smaller group, even if they all wanted the whole family back together.

After over a year of being in hiding, the pirates relished in battle, even those who got hurt from them. Ace had fun using his powers, having lost them for a long time in Impel Down. He really loved his fruit.

One day, the day before they were to land on the next island and collect some of the Whitebeards, Ace approached Haruta. "Hey, what's up?" he asked when Ace entered the intelligence room with all of the equipment and den dens.

He poked the wood floor with his foot. "I was wondering if you had any information on the revolutionaries. Sabo. His name is the same as my brother, so I want to see a photo of him. To make sure, y'know?" he explained.

Haurta smiled and said he'd find one, filing through the newspapers before he found one from about a month ago. He handed it to Ace, and he looked at the front page, at revolutionary Sabo. he had the tophat with goggles, same blond hair. Tears welled up in Ace's eyes. "Can I keep this? This photo?" he asked Haruta, wiping his tears away.

The twelfth division commander smiled at him and got a pair of scissors for Ace to cut out the photo. He thanked Haruta and took the photo back to his and Marco's room. There was still a second division room, but Ace wasn't using it.

He put the photo up on the wall next to Luffy's new wanted poster, with Ace's on the other side. He smiled at it. "When I find you, I'm gonna punch you in the face, you bastard," he said, though he didn't sound too angry. He stood there and looked at the pictures of his brothers. He missed them, but he imagined they'd missed him more. He was dead to them, after all.

Luffy must have been hurting the most, both of his brothers dead to him. Well, they were both back now. And he couldn't be happier.

Another two weeks passed as they collected more of their family. Ace held a grudge against those who had deserted, but he tried as hard as he could not to show it. It was difficult, but he did it. Until some of his own division came. And they were those he'd wanted to see most.

The ships docked at an island, with now 343 members, all fitting comfortably in the new ship. He was shocked with who he saw at the docks, standing right in front of the ship, waiting for them to arrive. There they were. Ace's second family. Thought not all were there, Jojo, Aggie 68, Deuce and Saber were there. The rest were not.

The fire user jumped off of the ship and ran to them, hugging them in a huge group hug. His old crew started to sob, even Deuce, who Ace had never seen cry. Ace had his own tears. He was mad at them, but they had never wanted to join the Whitebeards. They only did it because Ace had. He couldn't blame them for leaving once their anchor died.

"I'm sorry, Ace. I'm sorry we left, but there was nothing for us to stay for," Deuce said honestly, wiping tears out of Ace's face. "Not all of us stayed together. But we want to come back. We want you to be our division commander again." The other three were nodding in agreement.

Ace punched Deuce suddenly, but then smiled. "Welcome home." The former first mate felt his cheek, which would have a bruise, but he didn't complain about it, just smiled back. The pirates on the ship were cheering for Ace, knowing he missed his old crew. They weren't all there, but these four were and that was good enough for Ace. For right now. Hopefully the others would try and reach out, join him again for more adventures.

"We going after Teach?" Deuce asked as they walked up the plank that had been lowered.

"Hell yeah. But first, we're getting as many of us back together as possible. Family before revenge, or so to Pops," Ace explained. Another party was thrown that night, of course, for the return of four more members. They still had a long way to go, but Ace was happy in the moment for his crew. Those that were still around.

He would never say it, but Deuce was his favorite of the Spades. They were closest out of all of them. While Ace spent a lot of time with his fellow commanders after joining, he'd always made room for Deuce, though he was busy as well. Sometimes, they'd go on watch together and just talk all night, joke around, share stories. Hopefully that would happen again.

The pirates had fun destroying every marine base they came across. No one liked having them in the New World. They killed them all. They could never kill enough marines to make up what Akainu had done. Not until they killed that bastard and Teach for what they'd done.

Marco trained Ace and his old crew on haki. Ace already had great instincts, but haki was the only thing against Teach he had at chance using. He may use his fire power most now, but he was still strong with hand to hand. He caught on quickly, the same with Deuce. Armament haki was easy for both of them. They had observation haki before, but it wasn't as fine tuned as the others. But they made do.

Ace sparred against Marco, who had trouble with Ace using armament haki. He had mastered his fruit, so to be as good as he could he had to learn haki. Marco had some aches but no lasting damage afterwards. The crew, all 350 of them, watched them fight, cheering on Ace mostly since they knew Marco would win, even if Ace got some good hits in. Neither of them used their devil fruits, but Marco healed much quicker than Ace did.

Afterwards, Marco kissed all of the bruises gently. Then he ran his own flames over them. "What are you doing?" Ace asked.

"Something I learned I can do after the war. I can heal minor wounds on other people. That's what I'm doing," he said, and Ace thought it was pretty cool. Marco then bit down on his neck.

"Hey!" Ace shouted, looking to see a bite mark on the junction of his neck. "You used haki on your teeth?"

Marco smiled. "Maybe. I won't be healing that, though." Ace pouted and crossed his arms. "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah," Ace replied, though Marco knew he was joking. Ace had made it clear over the years that he loved Marco with all his heart. He couldn't compare his love for Luffy to Marco. Their love was so different they couldn't compare. Luffy wasn't his lover, and Pops wasn't his brother. They were the three pillars that held him up in his darkest moments. He couldn't wait to see Luffy again, whenever he was done with his latest adventure.

Going from one emperor to the next. What a crazy kid. But he smiled. Luffy could handle himself and had a strong crew with high bounties as well. Except poor Chopper. Ace had liked Chopper the most out of Luffy's crewmates, though they were all likable in their own ways.

"What are you thinking about?" Marco asked as they sat at the back deck against the railing.

"Luffy and his crew," Ace answered. "I can't wait to see him again." Marco nodded, saying he'd like to meet him again, in less tragic circumstances. "Well, you will. After we catch up to him, and you can meet Sabo, too. I still am mad he never came to find me, but I'm very happy he's alive."

Marco smiled. "Tell me about him?" And Ace did, telling Marco all about his best-friend turned brother. He'd never gone into detail, but now that he knew Sabo was alive, he felt he could share the story without feeling hollow afterwards.

Two days later, they got a call from someone. It was Pops' open den den that could be reached by anyone who knew the number. It was one of the more expensive den dens, but was worth it in the long run. More often than not, allies had lost the den dens connected, so they used the specific one.

Ace had known something was up when both Marco and Pops looked worried at him. For him. "What? What's wrong?" Ace asked, wondering what he'd done to make them worry. Did he say something bad? The captain and Marco shared a look before Marco nodded. Whitebeard took a deep breath.

"Roger called," he said simply. Ace's expression became cold, but he didn't storm off. "He remembers my number since to him, he died only weeks ago. He wants to meet up again and meet you. I've told him I don't think that is a good idea. You clearly have no desire to meet him, and I understand your strong dislike for him even though you've never met.

"We're not going to try and get you to bond with him, no matter how excited he sounded over the den den. You're my son before I'm his friend. I won't force you to do anything. _But…_ Rouge is with him."

Ace's face went to hate to shock and guilt. She probably didn't want to meet him after he killed her. She went through all that work to let him live and then he repaid her by killing her. He loved her for what she'd done for him, but she probably didn't want to meet him.

"She wants to meet you, Ace. She doesn't hate you. Not at all," Marco said softly. Ace frowned deeply. "We're not lying, and neither is she. Roger said she's happy now. I think that you should at least talk to her. Roger, you can ignore because you have valid reasons to not like him. But you should meet her." Ace stayed silent.

Marco turned Ace's head up to look at him with a finger under his jaw. "If I were in your shoes, and could meet someone I cared about in my original family, I would count that as a blessing. But they died too long ago. You have that chance. You have to take it or I know you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Whitebeard was nodding along in agreement.

He spoke next. "At my last visit with Roger, when he was already sick, all he talked about was Rogue. It was almost disgusting how much in love he was. But he really loved her. Loves her now. They have a second chance to be happy."

Ace scowled. "He left her! All on her own!"

"Son, he would have left her regardless. Roger was dying. He would have never lived long enough to see you born. He would have died either way. I can't judge his choice of where he wanted to die, but he went out with a bang and I couldn't see him doing anything else," Pops said emphatically. Ace's eyes widened, never realizing that was the truth.

Ace couldn't say whether he wished Rouge had lived. He might have had a happier life for much of his childhood, but he would have never met Luffy or Sabo. He would never know their love, or that they existed. But… now he did have a chance to meet her. But, what if she didn't like him? Or worse, he didn't like her?

"Fine, I'll meet with mom. Roger can go fuck himself." Marco chuckled, as did Whitebeard. "Your my father, not him. And he never will be." He said it as if he had to drill it into Pops' mind that he was always his first choice.

Whiteebard smiled softly. "Thank you. And if we got in a fight about whose son you are, well, I have hundreds of sons with us. He'll be no match for our family." Marco laughed and Ace smiled sheepishly. "Is it alright if I warm him ahead of time? About your dislike of him? He may be strong, but he cares deeply for those he finds important. And he was once my friend, I don't want him to be shocked and hurt when you reject him." Ace nodded, agreeing to that. He hated the man, but didn't want to cause him so much pain that his mom might hate him for it.

"Now, how has your haki training been going with Deuce?" Whitebeard asked, successfully switching topics.

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**The ship is named The Whale now since that was another name for the Moby Dick in the actual story, Moby Dick. And I couldn't come up with anything better, lol. See you next week!**


	8. Roger and Rouge Part 1

#### Iris Viggiano: Then you will be very happy this chapter and the next are finally here. 

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: Thanks!**

**PettyEvans: Aww thank you! I'm glad you like it so much! I try to make Ace and Marco as emotionally close as I can. <3 Ace def deserves someone to love him after the nightmare at Marineford. And Marco too, after all he went through as well.**

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**Here we are! Time to introduce Rouge! I do feel bad for Roger in this chapter and the next, but it's to be expected. Roger will be more in the next chapter. Since we know basically nothing about Rouge's personality, I tried to make her at least A BIT like a pirate lol. And some satisfying news of the Blackbeard pirates. Enjoy~**

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Later that night, Pops called Roger again with Marco in the room. The den den picked up, and wore a wide grin. "Newgate! How's my death friend?" Roger asked cheerily. Marco shared a look with Pops, both looking regretful for what they were to say.

"Very well. I have some important things to tell you before you meet Ace," he said, not beating around the bush. The den den still grinned. This was hard to listen to for Marco. He had met Roger. He wasn't a bad guy. But Ace saw him through the pain of his childhood that was caused by who his father was. That wasn't something that would go away overnight. Even if Ace saw how Roger was not a demon, and therefore he was not a demon's child, it would take a long time for him to get past the terrible things that had been said to him.

The fact that the whole war started because of who Ace's father was did not help things. He had told Marco that he blamed his biological father for his chosen father's death just as much as he blamed himself.

"My son? How is he? Is he excited to meet us?" Roger asked excitedly. Marco cringed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Whitebeard also had a look of regret.

The captain took a deep breath. "Ace does not wish to see you. He wants to see Rouge." the smile fell off of the snail's face. He asked why quietly. "It is your name that has caused him a lot of emotional pain all his life. His childhood was ugly because of it, and Marineford happened because of the blood he has. I'm sorry old friend, but he will not welcome you with open arms like you wish him to."

The den den mushi's eyes lowered, looking so sad. "He hates me then?"

"Yes. He does," Whitebeard said simply. "It will take a long time for it to change. And he is worried about meeting Rouge. He blames himself for her death, which made his childhood even uglier."

The snail looked shocked. "She does not see it that way! She loves him with all her heart and would never blame him for that!" he shouted angrily.

"That may be true, but that is not how Ace sees it. That can only change by her telling him that herself. But even then, he may blame himself for the rest of his life," Whitebeard said honestly. The den den's face fell again, losing its anger.

Then Roger asked another question. "How did Garp raise Ace? What kind of guardian was he?" Marco snorted. He couldn't help it. He'd heard from Ace all about his "crazy old man", and how he regularly beat Ace and his little brother for training. He was no guardian, and dumped Ace on some bandits. Who asks bandits to raise a child and thinks it will go well? The only reason Ace was how he was now was because of his brothers. Especially Luffy. Marco would always be grateful to the kid for making Ace happy. Ace loved Luffy very much, and Marco wanted to thank him.

"Well, Garp was not a good guardian. He was brash and abusive and dumped Ace on some bandits. I don't know what you were expecting, Roger. You knew Garp and how crazy he is. And it's not because of who Ace's biological father is, since he treated his biological grandson the same. He's just not a people person," Whitebeard explained.

"WHAT?! He did _what?!_ That asshole, I told him to look after him!" Roger raged, the snail looking absolutely livid. Marco and Pops both laughed.

The captain asked what Roger had expected. Garp was a marine who was supposed to harbor the child of a criminal? Even regular marines don't stay with their family. Of course Garp left, in his position.

"I had expected him to be kind, even if he didn't look after him. Not to dump him on fucking _bandits!_ That crazy old fool!" The captain and first mate were both laughing. "It's not funny!"

Marco was still grinning. "Well the abuse from Garp is not funny, but your reaction is. Oh, and Garp's grandson and Ace's brother will be taking your throne soon. I hope you have stepped down for good."

Roger laughed this time. "Garp's grandson wants to be the next pirate king? That is hilarious, I can laugh at that." He sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do to change Ace's upbringing, but the least I can do is bring his mother to meet him. I wish he didn't hate me, but I guess it was inevitable. I don't know why I expected him to welcome me with open arms. I caused him a lot of pain."

"Yes," the yonko said simply.

"Well, that's that. So, my cabin boy is a yonko now? Looks like he won't be wanting to join my crew once again." Marco was surprised. Did that mean Roger was going to rebuild his crew? So he asked. "I won't miss the chance to go on adventures again! However this works, I am no longer sick! And I won't be turning myself in anytime soon. Now I can sail with my love and my friends."

Whitebeard smiled, and Marco knew he was glad Roger was no longer sick. As much as he hid it, Marco remembered Pops' reaction after his death. He'd been clearly sad. "I am perfectly healthy as well. Though Marco is still doing a check up every couple of days. Though I am quite irate that my mustache is uneven. Took a magma fist to the face. It was burned off and now I look ridiculous and my sons laugh at me for it." He threw a glare to Marco, who was grinning in amusement. Only the bravest of them made comments about his half a mustache.

Roger then asked if Ace was alright. After all, he'd died as well.

"Ace is healthy. The only thing not the same is the ugly wound to his back and chest," the captain replied. "The burn scars will be there forever. After all, like myself, he had a magma fist to his chest as well. Damn Akainu. Anyways, you are rebuilding your crew? Rayleigh has gone into retirement and settled down, you know? He's older than I am."

The den den looked sad about Ace death before he switched and the former pirate king laughed. "Ray would never pass up the chance to travel with me again. I know where my old crew lived, I'll find them again. So, what has my first mate been doing lately?"

Marco answered this time. "Rayleigh mentored Ace's little brother for a couple years. You might hear of him soon. Monkey D. Luffy. He's going to be the next pirate king, according to him and Ace. Son of Monkey D. Dragon." The den den's jaw dropped. "Curious that two kids with 'demon blood' in them found one another and became brothers."

It indeed was a strange coincidence, but Ace couldn't have found anyone in a similar position as he was, though Ace didn't know how Luffy felt about his father after he learned. Based on how Luffy was in Ace's stories, an idiot who doesn't hold grudges, he might not have even known he had a father. Marco could see him thinking that.

"Well, the son of the most wanted man in the world would fit the bill for the next pirate king," Roger said in a cheerful voice.

"Hey, Roger. Pops went out similar to how you did. His last words were 'the One Piece does exist' and he fucked over all of the marines and ramped up the Great Pirate Era." The pirate started laughing while Whitebeard joined in.

The yonko pirates heard the door open and a feminine voice asking what he was laughing about. It was not what Ace had expected Ace's mom to be like. "Honey, why are you being so damn loud?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"Just catching up with old Whitebeard," Roger said in a happy voice. "Ace wants to see you. We'll talk more about that later."

"Ace wants to see me?" she asked excitedly. The den den nodded. "Well, then, tell me when you're off the den den. I think I may not be the best cook, honey. I set the damn toast on fire." Roger broke into laughter. Marco was happy for him.

He left the room and went to go find Ace while Pops was still talking to his old rival and friend. He found Ace practicing fighting Deuce, both of them covered in sweat, Ace's open shirt sticking to his back. He waited for them to take a break. The fire user drank a bottle of water and found Marco watching him with a smile.

Ace walked over. "Talked to Roger. He knows that you hate him, and he was understanding about it. Your mom wants to meet you. And I heard her over the den den. Apparently she swears and can't cook. She set toast on fire." Ace laughed, smiling brightly. "But, what could you expect from the lover of a pirate?"

"I got my bad cooking skills from her, I guess," he said, and kissed Marco, still smiling through the kiss. Marco looked forward to Ace meeting his mother. Roger had taken it well, even if he was clearly saddened about it. He was not angry with Ace, and could understand why he felt the way he did. "So what did Roger say about everything?"

Marco sat down and Ace followed, leaning against his side. "Well, he was sad that you hate him and all, but he does understand that you went through a lot because of who he was - is. He does not hold a grudge on you for the way you feel. And for some reason, he expected Garp to be a kind and caring guardian." Ace scoffed and Marco chuckled.

"Guardian my ass," he said bitterly.

"Indeed. And you don't need to worry about Luffy, Roger has stepped down for good. He said he just wants to travel with who he loves," Marco explained. "Apparently he wants to rebuild his crew. Even though they are all old men. After all, Rayleigh is older than Pops is. I doubt they'll all join. And Shanks and Buggy are captains now. I doubt it will be as easy for him to rebuild his crew as it is for us." Ace nodded in agreement.

He looked at the sky with a small smile, no doubt thinking about meeting Rouge. Marco hoped it went well. And the excitement in Rouge's voice was telling enough that she did not hate him. Marco looked down at Ace's new tattoo with a grin. It was right. To have the tattoo on. It was _right._

"Want to keep practicing haki?" Marco asked and Ace nodded and jumped up, coating both fists in haki. Ace was ruthless, but so was Marco. They'd just make up for the wounds with some passionate sex later. He wasn't lying when he said the walls of their room would be thicker. Ace didn't need to worry about being noisy.

He wondered what Roger would think of Marco being Ace's lover. He was curious about it, but it wouldn't matter to either of them if they didn't have Roger's approval. He had no right to make a decision like that.

-x-

Slowly, more and more divisions filled up. Ace was doing a good job of not showing those he didn't trust anymore any show of hate. They left, and Ace would always be angry with those who did. But the crew was growing bigger, and it was how it was supposed to be. There was supposed to be no place on the ship but the bedroom where privacy could be found. Sometimes he forgot it wasn't the Moby Dick, as the interior was almost identical to their previous home.

Since they really couldn't have a party every time someone showed up, they just had weekly celebrations for everyone who had joined again. Happiness was brought to those who had missed it for years. More of Ace's division showed up, slowly filling up. By then, three months after the mass resurrection, they had 600 of the 1600 pirates. Still had a thousand to go, but they had time.

Roger and Rouge were constantly on Ace's mind. Rouge, excitement and nervousness, Roger, hatred and annoyance. Why'd he have to come back? Why couldn't it have just been his mom? He would lay in bed at night, a million thoughts going through his head until Marco tired him in other ways. And it worked every time.

Another good thing with the thicker walls was no one woke from his screaming when he woke from a nightmare. Marco was more than understanding, holding him close every time, kissing his cheek or shoulders, trying to calm him down. Let him know he's home and not there. That Luffy is alive, Pops is alive.

Ace was humiliated by it every time, but had been convinced successfully that it did not bother Marco. That he needed little sleep in the first place. Ace would cry, grabbing at his tattoo, even if he couldn't see the burn anymore he knew it was there. It would always be there, under the surface of happiness.

But, the sobbing tired him more, and he always dozed off in Marco's strong and warm embrace. He loved Marco for it. For being so understanding. Knowing the pain Ace felt in his dreams made him more delicate, knowing how traumatizing it was.

The day before they were to dock on one of Shanks' islands, the newspaper had some news that everyone was interested in. The reaction of the four official yonkos, not including Luffy or Pops. Apparently, Big Mom had no reaction besides threatening her protected islands that they were not to leave her "care". Whitebeard would take back fishman island no matter what. But they weren't going to do that for a while.

Kaido was not mentioned due to the fact he was in Wano and newspapers did not make it there, or come from there. Shanks was happy. He made no show he was upset, and had visited with Roger apparently, who was nearing the end of Paradise, which made Ace uneasy.

Teach's reaction, however, was very satisfying. Apparently, he was terrified, as he should be. Pops was stronger than ever, healthier by a million fold compared to how he was at the end of Marineford. He had been on his deathbed, dying, bleeding, burned. It was not a surprise in hindsight that he'd lost.

The Blackbeard pirates had up and left the island they'd been living on. They had gone to the opposite side of the New World to the southern border, where they were residing on one of the islands that had been stolen from the Whitebeard's care. They were nearer to the north, still collecting the remains of their crew.

It was also satisfying to find that some of the Blackbeard's key allies had deserted them. Everyone knew that the strongest man in the world would be after them sooner or later, and would rather not associate themselves with Whitebeard's enemy. The loss of his fruit had also been a reason he was in hiding. Well, being as hidden as he could be under the government's eye.

The entire crew had listened to Whitebeard read the article aloud, and cheers and laughter were loud and uproarious on the crew for hours. After everything Teach had put them all through, it was so satisfying for him to be quaking in his boots.

An article on the back of the front page talked about Edward Weevil, the sniveling imposter, had stopped publicly calling Whitebeard his father. He and Miss Bakkin had gone suspiciously silent. They could no longer manipulate the situation if the person in subject was now able to confirm that they were both liars and imposters.

It was a good day, drinks flowing and games played. Most days were happy, and the crew, as it was pieced back together like a puzzle, was confident and proud to be back. More than a few had sincerely apologized to the captain and commanders for leaving. Ace hadn't forgiven them, but when some said they had been frightened and felt endangered, so they fled on their fears, he grew a little less angry. More like pity. But, he did his best to welcome them back, even if they'd now need to prove themselves for Ace to ever fully trust them again.

It was on Shanks' protected island where they finally crossed paths with Roger's crew. He had been right, many had come right back, even if they were old. Ace would have to ask Rayleigh about Luffy's training and thank him.

When they docked at the harbor, they found Shanks' ship and a ship that looked very similar to the Oro Jackson. So, two yonko and the former pirate king were on this island. Ace felt his heart beat faster, uncomfortably so, at the thought of meeting his mom for the first time ever. Did he look like her? He had no idea what she looked like, what her voice sounded like. He was scared.

He had no desire to even look at Roger. He didn't want to feel bad for him. He didn't want to pity him about his son hating his guts. He wanted to continue to blame him for his early childhood, for the whole reason Marineford even happened. He wanted to continue to blame him over the fear he had felt every day that he would be found out, and that his family would hate him, reject him.

They didn't, of course, but that fear had been a part of him for years. It had faded, but it had still been hard to deal with.

Trying to lighten Ace's mood, the ship tried to get him to laugh. It didn't work well, until one of Izo's division came out with a crochet, white, halfmoon and tried to tape it to what was left of Whitebeard's mustache. It wasn't growing in, just like Ace's hair and fingernails hadn't grown. It was the only strange side effect after being resurrected. It was nothing major to Ace, but Pops was not happy.

"You brats, don't make me punish you. My terrible half-mustache is no laughing matter!" Whitebeard shouted, but only brought forth more laughs. The ship was full of it lately. Pops eventually couldn't help but laugh as well, so happy for his sons to all love one another again, even after the stress of the time after Marineford.

The crew left the ship, knowing it would be fine on a protected island of Shanks', and headed inland. Ace kept looking around, expecting to see Roger. And wanting to see Rouge. He didn't know who to look for. He wished he'd had a photo, but he didn't. And Garp never explained anything about her to him other than that she saved him by keeping her in her womb for almost two years.

He and Marco branched off to find someplace to eat to help calm Ace's nerves. They ended up at a coffee shop, thinking that they wouldn't encounter Roger or any of the pirates there. The two noticed that everyone on the island was very cuddly, and had the idea that those who had come back to life were still celebrated and the concept of them being back to life was fresh. It was busy island with many people.

They entered the little coffee shop and Ace ordered hot chocolate while Marco got a coffee. They were more expensive than normal, and the pirates had noticed that everything was more expensive due to short supply. Ace took a deep sip of the hot chocolate. "You know, it tastes wrong with no alcohol in it," he commented, and Marco laughed.

"I agree. Spiked coffee is much more satisfying." Ace eyed the coffee. He hated the drink. It tasted and smelled bad, and he couldn't understand why it was so damn popular.

"Coffee sucks. Makes your breath smell, too," Ace replied sourly. "And it tastes bad to kiss you afterwards." Marco grinned and took another deep gulp of the coffee with a haughty look on.

They talked about smaller things, avoiding heavy and loaded topics. Ace had his orange hat on, so he wasn't exactly _not_ noticable, and his bounty had popped up again, so he was now again well known. Marco had been in hiding, so his poster hadn't resurfaced in the newspaper anytime recently. Mostly just targeted those who had been brought back to life.

As Ace and Marco were leaving, they passed a woman with strawberry blonde hair and a flower in her ear. She was looking at a piece of paper and they paid no mind to one another.

Immediately, Ace was nervous again. Marco took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "It'll all be fine. And if Roger is too pushy, or makes you uncomfortable, you know everyone will react strongly. They're all so protective of you now." Ace nodded. It was touching but also annoying to have his underlings so worried about him. But Ace understood it and didn't complain about it.

The first of the Roger pirates they ran into was Rayleigh. Ace had never met him, but had heard about him from time to time. Marco stopped him and greeted the fellow first mate. "Marco! It's good to see you again. It's been awhile. And Ace. It's good to see you." He had an almost soft smile. "Luffy-kun missed you a lot during his training."

Ace looked worried. "Was he okay? What happened after I… you know? Died?"

Rayleigh waved him to a bench and the three sat down. "Luffy-kun was heavily injured from his battles along with the wound Akainu gave him. It took awhile to heal, but his mind was in much more trouble. He had an episode after waking up. Jinbei took care of him. Law had treated him and they were stationed at Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock's island. I offered to train him and recommended he not join his crew.

"The Strawhats were not ready for the New World. They were all in separate training for two years. Clearly, it worked as Luffy-kun has defeated another warlord and escaped the Big Mom crew." Ace could tell the man had grown attached to Luffy. And really, who didn't? Rayleigh sounded so fond of his pupil, and it made Ace happy.

"Thank you. For taking care of him," Ace said with a thick voice.

Rayleigh grinned. Marco had a question that had been an itch he couldn't scratch for so long. "Rayleigh, why did the Pirate Empress help Luffy? Ace told me she helped him into Impel Down to save him." Rayleigh broke into laughter.

"You will not believe me, but Hancock had fallen head over heels for Luffy-kun," he said. Ace and Marco's jaws dropped. The man hating empress fell in love with _Luffy?!_ Of all people? But they both broke into laughter. Rayleigh joined them.

"She asked Luffy-kun to marry him more than a couple times. To say she was obsessed is an understatement. It was truly laughable. Of course, Luffy-kun had no interest in such things." Ace muttered that of course he didn't. "He was quite clueless to her affections. It was entertaining," the man admitted. Marco laughed and Ace shook his head in fondness.

Marco then asked if Rayleigh had become a pirate again. "You're an old man now."

"So is Whitebeard but he's still a pirate," Rayleigh pointed out. "When Roger found me again, I admit that I thought I was done pirating. But he was my best friend, and the thought of going on more adventures was too tempting to dismiss. I'd grown weary of Sabaody, and Shakky is an understanding woman. So, I agreed to come. I'm still strong, even if I am old. If I die out on the sea, that's where I wish to die. I will always be a pirate at heart," he said in a happy voice. "Have you seen Rouge yet?" he asked in a light voice.

Ace shrugged. "Don't know what she looks like, so I can't say," he admitted.

"Well the only thing you have in common with her appearance is the freckles and nose. Otherwise, you have more of Roger's features. I know you hate him, it's understandable and I will not try to convince you he is a good man. It's not my place," Rayleigh said politely, and Ace smiled and thanked him.

The dark-king then asked Marco what was going on with his crew. The man was not surprised one bit that they were slowly rebuilding their crew and family. Marco explained where he'd been for the last two years, knowing he could trust Rayleigh. He was a good man.

After that conversation ended, Ace practically begged the man to tell him stories about Luffy's training. The stories kept his mind occupied and was only pulled out of it when a woman approached. The same they'd passed before. Marco was the one to see her first, and nudged Ace. Ace turned to look at the woman, who dropped the bag she was carrying and stared at Ace with wide eyes.

She had Ace's freckles. Well, he had hers. He stood up abruptly, looking almost scared. "Ace?" she asked silently. She had to know it was him, she'd seen his poster. She walked closer to him and reached up to touch his cheek. "Don't be afraid. I've loved you since the moment I knew you were coming," she said softly, and gathered Ace in a hug.

His hands shook as they slowly reached up to hug her, too. Both Marco and Rayleigh gave them privacy and walked across the square.

"But… I killed you," Ace said quietly, hugging her tighter without noticing it. She put her hand on the back of his head.

"I knew what was going to happen when I pushed my body to that point. As long as you lived, I was happy. I knew things were going to be hard for you in the future. And I was right, but I knew you could do it. I was right about that, too," Rouge said softly. Ace swallowed thickly. "And even if it _was_ your fault I died, I'm back now. I get another chance to be happy."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Rouge pulled away to look at him with warm eyes, brushing her thumbs across his freckled cheeks that so matched hers. Other than that, his perky nose, and his thinner eyebrows, he looked nothing like her. "It is not your fault who your father is," she said strongly. Ace expected her to tell him he had to like Roger, or to try and convince him that he was a good man. If she loved him, then she clearly thought he was a good man.

When his mother noticed his expression, and smiled. "You have good reason to dislike him. Even though in a perfect world, that I wish we lived in, I would want you to like him, this is not a perfect world. And you've gone through a lot of hardship because Roger is your biological father. Damn those marines and everyone else who has hurt my boy." Ace cried quietly into her shoulder. He was much taller than she was.

She led him to the bench. "I am glad you found a father, Ace. Even if he isn't Roger. I thank Whitebeard with all my heart for what he's done for you." She kissed his forehead, something no one but Marco had ever done. It made his cheeks flame, and he looked up to see Marco and Rayleigh were gone. He was glad of that. This was a very private moment. He could tell Marco about it later. "Are things better with them?"

Ace smiled and nodded. "I love them. My family. A lot of bad stuff has happened, but they're my family. Besides Luffy and Sabo." Rouge smiled at him, and asked him to tell her all about his family.

It was like they were old friends, or like Ace had known her his whole life. She listened intently with a warm smile as Ace happily talked about Luffy and Sabo, and she laughed at all the right times. She gave him a stern look when he admitted to attempting to murder Luffy, but it made him chuckle.

"Luffy never cared about that. He still wanted to be my friend and then brother. He was so weak and wimpy, but now he has a bounty high above me and is taking on the world government and yonkos," Ace said proudly. "I wish you could meet him. He'd probably ask you invasive questions. Little idiot," but he said it with such fondness.

"I'm happy you are happy. I was devastated, when I learned you had died like that. I worried you hadn't come back, and so when I knew you did, I forced Roger to take me away and to you as fast as possible. That man… he wanted to just play damn house for a while but I wanted to see you. You know, it's my fault he's pirating again," she said with an amused smile.

Ace grinned. " _You_ sound like the captain, not him." Rouge laughed.

"He can't resist my charm. I made the damn best innocent face. Have you found someone? I know it must be hard to find someone out on sea as a pirate," she said, and Ace grew nervous. She picked up on it immediately, growing concerned. "What is it?"

Ace sighed. "I do have someone. Marco, the first mate of my crew," he said nerously, not knowing how she'd react to him being gay.

But she smiled. "I'm happy you found love. It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" Ace nodded, so relieved that she didn't judge him badly for it. Love really was a wonderful thing. "Is he good to you? If he isn't I'll have to beat him up." When she saw Ace's look, she said, "Just because I look pretty and innocent doesn't mean I can't kick ass, you know."

Ace chuckled. "Marco is very good to me. When me and Pops woke up, Marco found us first. And we've now rebuilt our crew. We still have a long way to go. Then, we're going to take revenge on Teach and find my brothers."

Her face grew dark. "I've heard of what that man has done. I hope you kill him painfully. He caused you so much pain and suffering. Make him pay."

Ace promised that that was the plan all along. Ace found it refreshing that his mother wasn't like a stay at home mom. She wasn't weak or gentle or proper. She swore, fought, and wanted revenge. No wonder Roger liked her. She wasn't an ordinary woman. Ace was sure she'd make for a great pirate, or already was.

"You know, I'm surrounded by old guys on that ship. I'm only 29, and here I am surrounded by old men! Not that it's especially a bad thing, it's just strange." Ace knew Roger's age was 53. He grinned. There was no way she could disapprove of Ace being with someone much older than he was.

"It looks like an age gap runs in the family. Marco is 26 years older than me. He's an old man, too," Ace joked. I felt so natural to be with her. He knew he would be in contact with her even after they parted. Sending letters most likely. Rouge laughed, and it was such a wonderful laugh.

She didn't bring up Roger a single time other than in passing. She didn't tell Ace he looked like his father, she didn't praise him, scold him for hating him, attempt to convince him to give him a try. She truly understood the reasons Ace felt how he did. And it obviously made her sad, but she _understood._ His mother understood his pain from being _his_ son.

Ace spent the next hour talking with his mom. He loved her already. He'd always loved her, but it was different loving someone he'd never met and didn't remember than knowing she was here, was his mother. Rouge was wonderful, and Ace didn't understand why he was afraid to meet her. The time with her was wonderful.


	9. Roger and Rouge Part 2

#### Iris Viggiano: ;) Thank you. I wish we could have seen more of Ace's mom. Her and Roger together. :(

**Starlieyed: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it! It's hard to believe how short Wano is when so much stuff has already happened. I'm rewatching some of the old arcs and it's crazy how much the pace has changed. Like, whole arcs used to be maybe 20-30 episodes and then you got freaking Dressrosa with 118.**

**PettyEvans: Thank you! Poor Ace, it made sense for him to be really emotionally damaged after the war. and of course Marco would be there for him! I think people will like Roger in this chapter. Or, I hope so.**

**Arok: Lol, since he know basically nothing about Rouge's personality, I wanted to make her interesting, so I went for swearing and un"ladylikeness".**

#### im_done_with_yall_peoples24: Aw thank you! Writing and reading fanfics helps me through my school work as well. Only finals week and then I'm done with my hardest class ever! Spiraling Out of Control is now complete, but we have 5 more weeks of this one! 

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: I just had to understand how they all felt. They went through something traumatizing. Especially Ace. Poor sweet cinnamon bun. I love you, Marco is there for you!**

#### Siliel: Thank you! I haven't seen any fic like this before, mostly time travel fix-its, so I just made one myself! I def know how it feels to have what you think is a really good idea and it just turns into crap. Lol. A not nice feeling.

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**So many reviews, thank you! Here we are, meeting Roger! I can't wait to post the next chapter, I'm sure everyone will like it. This chapter is a little emotional. I also finished another baby Luffy fic. Fluffy beyond belief. I'm going to be editing it now. Look forward to it. Everyone liked the fluffy one shot so much I just had to finish the baby Luffy fic. Enjoy~**

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Marco happily walked through town with Rayleigh, knowing Ace needed time alone with his mom. He'd ask about her later. He went looking for Pops, seeing many of his brothers out and enjoying the island. Rayleigh was also looking for his captain, and they assumed both of them were catching up.

"Rouge really is a unique woman," the old man said pleasantly. "Roger is whipped. She may look innocent, but she can pack a real punch and has quite the mouth on her. I've never heard a woman swear more than she does. Roger is wrapped around her finger."

Marco laughed, never thinking someone would be like Rouge to Roger. Was she the dominant one? He'd ask Ace later. He knew that they were having a good time, that Rouge was a good person. Just her reaction over the phone, the excitement of seeing her grown-up child made him sure she would be good to Ace.

"I'm glad Ace's mom isn't a weak woman. I'm sure they'd get along less smoothly if she was against his crass mouth and the craving he has for battle," Marco replied. They both came across a clearing, where Pops, Shanks and Roger were all drinking. When Pops saw Marco, he lifted his bottle with a look, and Marco knew it was not alcohol in the bottle. Probably water again.

"Marco! You sure have gotten big," Roger said pleasantly.

Marco sat next to Pops, declining Shanks' invite before it was made. "Ace met with his mom. They're together right now, talking," Marco said to the captain. He observed Roger's face, which fell just for a moment before his grin was back.

"I'm sure he'll love her," he said, trying to sound cheerful even though there was pain in those words. Marco pitied him. It wasn't Roger's fault that the world thought he was a demon, and it wasn't Ace's fault for being treated like one. Roger clearly wanted to be close to Ace, but Ace was unwilling.

Marco turned to Shanks, and said, "Thank you, again, for all you did for us after Pops and Ace passed. It meant a lot to all of us, though I still won't join your crew. You saved a lot of people when you arrived." Shanks grinned, and said it was no problem. Marco did wonder why the marines accepted him to intervene, but it was not his business even if he was curious. Maybe Pops knew.

"No problem. And it saved Luffy. I'm so proud of him! He's grown so strong. Did you hear he defeated Charlotte Katakuri! Bahahahaha!" Shanks sounded like a proud father, like how Rayleigh had sounded. Luffy really did make people love him it seemed.

Roger looked surprised. "One of Linlin's kids? That old bag's son got defeated by a brat?" he asked in disbelief. Pops laughed and nodded. "Well, I guess he really is a contender for the title of king."

Shanks beamed. "Luffy will become the pirate king. I have no doubt. Though you shouldn't be surprised, captain, when his grandpa is Garp and father is Dragon. That kid has powerful blood. He's gonna fly ahead of everyone else. I believed him since the day he exclaimed his dream." He then laughed. "You know, I thought at the time that it was an empty boast, but after that, when I saw his face, I knew he could do it. That's why I gave him the straw hat."

Rayleigh sat down next to his captain, looking completely content. Marco was happy for him. He had another chance to sail with his best friend, even if he was now 22 years older than him. "Luffy-kun is a determined person. I believe in him as well."

Roger swallowed a big gulp sake, and said, "I kinda want to meet him, now." Shanks assured him that they would most likely cross paths sometime.

The three captains and two first mates talked happily, and the topic of Ace did not come up. Marco was frankly impressed with Roger's understanding about why Ace hated him. The phoenix was sad for him, truly. Roger didn't deserve this, but Ace didn't deserve to be victimized over his father's identity. It was a mess.

Marco looked up and saw Rouge walk around a corner, and then look at the group, and turn around. He saw the tip of Ace's hat disappear. The zoan smiled, thankful for Rouge's understanding. She didn't want Ace to see Roger. She loved the man, but didn't want to upset her son. It was touching, and Marco was so glad Ace got to meet his mother.

Roger suddenly said, "You know that man, Blackbeard? You said long ago, Newgate, that he was a D. He is not. I know the secret of the Will of D. And he is not."

Pops sighed. "I'm not surprised. He lied about everything before and is hungry for fame. It makes sense that he'd want to be a D. Due to their fame, even if no one knows it but your crew and I," the yonko said simply.

Everyone in the group scowled. "Don't worry, we'll be taking him out soon enough," Marco said in a hard voice. "He's already scared shitless of Pops. And Pops isn't injured and dying, Teach will be easy to kill when he doesn't have the tremor-tremor fruit."

The former pirate king looked at Whitebeard, at all of his scars and wounds. "You went through a very hard battle, my friend. Even took your mustache." Marco put his hand up to stop Roger from continuing to speak.

"You'll be safer not mentioning the mustache," he said sagely, looking at Whitebeard's narrowed eyes. Shanks chuckled, as did Rayleigh. Roger shut up and went back to drinking. Marco looked up at his father in amusement. They really needed to do something about the state of the mustache. Whitebeard was glaring, fingering his half mustache.

The leaders and second in command drank together for a long time, mostly filling Roger in on the 22 years he'd been gone for. Rouge and Ace did not make an appearance. It was only at dinner time, when Marco was getting ready to go to the ship, Roger asked, "Is Ace unwilling to see me at all?" in a small voice. It hurt Marco to hear. It was just so sad and small.

Pops seemed to get the same feeling, and looked at the horizon with the sun setting. "Would you rather not meet him, or be glared at? Ace… he's hard to make friends with. It's easy for others to consider him friends. But Ace does not open up easily. He tried to kill me every day for 100 days before he finally accepted that we wanted to keep him. He will not warm up to you in one night, Roger."

Marco stayed silent and did not say anything, not facing Roger. He didn't want to see the pain. "I want to meet him. Even if he hates me, I want to meet him." Marco sighed and said he would go get him. He turned his arms into wings and flew off above the island and looked for his lover, finding him near the ship. He landed next to him.

Ace had gone into the ship in the last couple of hours and had a blanket laid out on the beach with his mother, both laying down and looking at the purple tinted clouds. Rouge smiled at him. "Hello, Marco. Ace has told me a lot about you. Thank you for being there for him through all that has happened." Marco liked Rouge. Ace was smiling so brightly, and Marco didn't want to ruin that smile.

"I'm glad to. Ace is the love of my life," he said simply, and Ace blushed and hid his face in his hands. Rouge chuckled and sat up. Ace did, too. "Ace, can you come and see Roger? You don't have to like it or even be kind, but he wants to see you," Marco said gently. Ace lost the happy look, replaced by a scowl. "Please." Ace sighed, dropping the look and just looking incredibly tired. Marco felt bad for pressuring him when he so badly did not want to meet Roger.

Rouge said nothing, didn't try to convince Ace to go, but Ace finally agreed. Marco had a feeling he'd try to be his best self in front of his mother. He looked at her like she was his sun. A look that had only been reserved for Marco and his little brother. At least he was on good terms with one of his biological parents, though Ace already had a damn good father.

Marco led the two, both holding hands, to where Roger and the others had been drinking. The moment Ace saw Roger, in the flesh for the first time ever, he frowned, brows scrunched up together. He stopped a good three yards away from him.

Shanks and Rayleigh left, leaving Ace and his chosen and biological family. "Ace…" Roger said. Ace looked offended when he said his name. Marco saw a look from Rouge, almost an apology. One of sadness and sympathy. Ace didn't reply. Suddenly, he bowed deeply. "I am sorry my name has made your life very hard."

Ace looked shocked, before glaring and stomping away. Rouge and Roger looked shocked at the behavior. All Roger had done was apologize, after all. "What did I say wrong?" Roger asked in a small voice. Marco sighed.

"Ace wants to hate you. If you're not the monster he thinks you are, he'll be confused and upset. He doesn't want to change his opinion," Marco said softly. He turned to the man, who looked so upset, and said, "I'm sorry, Roger." Rouge was standing beside him, holding onto his arm in comfort.

Whitebeard added softly, "Ace is stubborn. Almost to a fault. I warned you, Roger." Roger adopted the fakest smile, and it pained Marco to see. He had never felt such pity as he did this man right now. He felt like he was betraying Ace by siding with the person he hated most.

"Well, he seemed to have gotten along with Rouge. That's all I can ask for," he said in a wavering voice. The unbeatable pirate king was putting on a front after his son rejected him fully. It was sad. Marco couldn't take it, and flew off to catch up with Ace.

Ace looked up at his lover. "I don't want to go see him, Marco." Marco touched his shoulder, stopping him.

"Why? What if he's not the monster you think he is? I know you want to hate him. But he might not be hateable. And that upsets you," Marco said softly. Ace told him to shut up, which had Marco shocked, and showed on his face.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm sorry," he said in a worried voice. Marco touched his cheek, showing he forgave him. "He has to be the monster."

"Why?" Marco asked again, cupping both of Ace's cheeks.

Ace scowled. "Then if he's not, my whole life was a lie! It's his fault mom died! It's his fault Pops and everyone else in that war died! It's his fault I've been afraid of being found out all my life! HIS FAULT LUFFY ALMOST DIED! His fault for these damn panic attacks just from seeing a burn!" Ace raged, tears down his eyes. "If it's not, then whose fault is it?!"

Marco hugged him, rubbing his back as Ace sobbed. He was worried about what he'd just done, but there was no going back. "Did you ever consider it was no one's fault? That the universe is just cruel sometimes? Roger didn't ask for people to hurt you. He didn't ask for Rouge to die. He didn't ask for his only child to hate him."

Ace pulled away, looking angry at the ground. "I don't need him, I already have a father."

"You may not need him. You may not. But maybe you need forgiveness. Maybe ridding yourself of that hate will make you feel better," Marco suggested. "I'm not asking you to love him, but imagine his feelings. He's alive again, he knows his child is alive again, and he finds out you hate his guts before you meet him. I'm not taking sides. You both have good reasons to feel how you do. But, maybe it would feel good? I'm not gonna force you. We'll be on this island for two more days. You have until then to decide."

Ace didn't say anything, just glared down at his feet. Marco didn't know whether to stay or go, but he wanted that look off of Ace's face. "Why don't you tell me about your time with your mom?" he asked. He almost got whiplash by the sudden change in Ace's demeanor. His scowl turned into a grin and his eyes went from dark and angry to bright and excited.

Marco listened to Ace gush about his mother, and was so relieved that Ace had clicked with her. He'd be miserable if she hadn't. "And she didn't say one thing to make me like Roger. She's so amazing." Marco smiled at Ace's enthusiasm. Marco would talk to him about Roger in the morning. It was dinner time. Roger had said they were staying for a couple of days. There was still time.

Pops didn't say a thing to Ace about Roger. Marco didn't understand why. He started to feel he was wrong to try and get Ace to talk to the former pirate king. Marco would be unaffected if Ace didn't see him. But he was feeling empathy, which he hadn't felt for anyone he didn't care for personally in a long time.

He'd read the newspaper about people dying, being killed by pirates, and he didn't feel a thing. Now that he was back with his family, he realized just how he'd changed after Marineford. He was sick with himself, and retired early that night.

But of course, Ace noticed, and went to be early as well. He curled against Marco in bed. "You okay?" he asked. Marco didn't want to lie, but also didn't want Ace to know about how cold he had been in his absence. But, Ace was always honest with him. He would return the favor.

"I feel empathy. And I haven't felt it for anyone I wasn't close to personally since the crew broke apart. I was so cold, no wonder the crew ditched me," and then he covered his mouth with his hand. He'd never voiced that feeling to anyone but Pops. Ace put his hand on his cheek.

"They came back, they love you. It is impossible to fill Pops' shoes, and not just because they're the size of your thigh. You can't suddenly be a father. Besides, most siblings don't like their sibling ordering them around, you know?" Marco chuckled.

"I guess that's true. But I still failed everyone. And now I'm just realizing how much I had changed. Sure, I was nice to the people of Sphinx. But it was because I felt I had to make up for my failure as captain. Looking back, you would not have liked who I was," Marco said.

Ace ran his fingers through Marco's hair. "I will always love you. And I would have knocked your ass back to how you used to be. If I was able to, at least. Maybe if I had been there, things could have been different. I've always been your stress relief. Right? I help you not be stressed?" Marco nodded, and tucked his head against Ace's collar bone, running his and over Ace's tattooed chest. "So, what brought you to this conclusion?"

Marco frowned. "I feel empathy for Roger," he admitted in a quiet voice. "Pity, too. He just seemed so lost. Not the strong man he once was. I think waking up alive and healthy, when your friends and crew are either gone on their own, died, or are too old to sail, would be very hard. So at least he has Rouge and Rayleigh."

He looked at Ace in worry, afraid he'd offended him by feeling bad for Roger. "Mom said Roger wanted to stay put, but she wanted to find me. So she convinced him to go and find me." He sighed. "And then I spit it in his face. You know how I am. It's hard to open up to people. I think it was different from mom since I've loved her my whole life even if I didn't know her. Stupid Marco, now I feel bad, too," the fire user grumbled.

"That wasn't my intention. I was just being-"

"Honest. And I appreciate it. Did you always like Roger?" Ace asked quietly.

Marco shook his head. "I don't like or dislike him. I just feel empathy and pity for a father whose son hates him. I'd feel that for anyone, not just Roger. Well, maybe not for the worst of the worst, like Teach or Akainu."

Ace's gaze turned distant for a moment. "I think I understand how you feel a bit. When Luffy punched gramps, it was hard to see. I know gramps loves Luffy. And I guess me too, to an extent. But seeing him fight Luffy was hard. I know it's nowhere near the same, but I did feel empathy for him." Marco kissed his clavicle gently.

"Ace? I'm really sorry. I feel like I'm betraying you for feeling sorry for Roger. I've never been close to him or anything. Maybe I'm just thinking of Pops. After you left after Thatch was killed and Teach betrayed, he was a mess. A son he'd had for so long turned out to never love him. I know it's not the same, but Roger could be feeling the pain Pops had. I don't know. I'll stop talking now," Marco finished.

Ace swallowed thickly. "I didn't know about Pops being like that," he said quietly. He thought for a long moment, before speaking just as Marco was dozing, feeling good for getting everything off of his chest. Ace always helped him, even when he didn't try to. "I will see him tomorrow. Doesn't mean I will grow to like him. And I will always choose Pops over him."

Marco smiled up at him, and Ace grinned back. "Love you. Goodnight," the older pirate said, and pressed his face to Ace's chest, and fell asleep peacefully. Ace fell asleep quickly as well, with no nightmares.


	10. Truly Healing

#### Ariel_Lazarus: Thank you!

#### SykoFanGurl: You may get all that in this chapter. Who knows? ;)

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: Poor Ace goes through so much shit.**

#### Iris Viggiano: Then you will like this chapter!

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**I graduated a couple days ago! So glad I passed my programming class! So, this chapter will make many people happy. And it's pretty long as well. Enjoy!**

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Marco woke before Ace and had gone out on deck, and came back not long after to wake him up. "Ace, babe, time to wake up," Marco said kindly. Ace rolled over onto his side, still wanting to sleep. He dragged the pillow over his head and heard Marco chuckle. "Roger will eat all of your food." Ace snapped up and glared at him, but Marco just laughed.

Ace rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I gotta shower," he said and then turned to Marco with a smirk. "Care to join me, _captain Marco._ " And he undressed right in front of Marco and headed into their bathroom. Marco had had it so their shower was bigger for them both to fit. It was an upgrade from the Moby 2 and bigger than his original commander's bathroom. They both fit in nicely.

After both were dressed, Ace registered, finally, what Marco had said. "Wait, Roger is on the ship?" he asked, not understanding why he was there so early. Ace had been rude to him, surely he wanted to not see him again. "Rouge is here as well. They're eating in the galley with Pops. I'd hurry, Roger has a stomach even bigger than yours."

Ace looked worried, nervous. He didn't want to confront Roger in front of everybody. He wanted it to be in private. "I didn't want to talk to him in front of everybody. Why is he here?" he asked. Marco said that Pops had invited him, not knowing Ace was planning on seeing him. At least saying something, or not to glare at him.

"I'm sure no one thinks you were going to talk to him, so they didn't know. We can both eat out on deck if you want," Marco offered. Ace nodded, he'd do that. He wanted to be comfortable when he was doing the uncomfortable. Didn't want people watching him. He was a commander, he didn't want to be seen as childish in front of his division.

When they left the room, Ace ran into Deuce, who was carrying a huge tray of food. "Figured you didn't want to eat with Roger," he said helpfully. Ace looked down to see it was all of his favorites. The former first mate grinned at his friend and former captain. "Marco will have to go get his own."

Ace thanked Deuce, feeling special. But of course Deuce knew how Ace felt about Roger being in his home. He brought the food out on deck, where Marco joined them with his own food and some for Deuce to sit and eat with them.

"How was your mom?" Deuce asked. Marco groaned.

"Don't get him started," he said, though he was joking. Ace stuck his tongue out at him, and then explained all about Rouge to his close friend. Ace ate happily, only thinking of his mother. Who loved him unconditionally. Even after he was cruel to the love of her life, still she loved him. It was a type of love he hadn't felt before and it was wonderful. The love of a mother.

Ace wondered where Luffy's mother was. It was a huge mystery that he'd never asked. He wished he had now. But Ace didn't want to contact Garp. He didn't know how to feel. On one hand, Garp had been very upset about Ace's execution, but at the same time he didn't do anything to prevent it.

At the time, he hadn't been surprised. Garp was a marine. But he was also Ace's grandfather. And after feeling the love of a parent, it made Garp's choice sour. Made him seem like he didn't care for Ace. Sure, he cried, but he still tried to stop Luffy from saving him.

He slowly stopped eating, and set the fork down, eyes distant. Deuce asked him what was wrong. Ace looked up, not having noticed he'd stopped talking. "Are you alright?" Ace blinked twice and then nodded. "What happened?"

The youngest commander said, "Just thinking about gramps. After mom showed she loved me no matter what, well, it has sorta made marineford sour when it came to gramps. At the time, I thought it was normal, never having had a real parent figure. Dadan was okay, but not a parent. But gramps was going to let me die. My grandfather was going to stand by and watch me be beheaded," Ace said, his voice suddenly choked up. "It's stupid."

Marco put his arm around Ace's shoulders. "I was going to die, and he was right there to stop it. And he didn't," Ace said, eyes becoming red and glassy. "It never hit me before. I was going to die. And he didn't care enough to stop it."

Marco said gently, "He chose his job over you. I know it must hurt. You didn't see it, but the moment you died, Garp started to stalk over, and Sengoku had to pin him down to keep him from killing Akainu. I know it does nothing to change the fact that he had so much time to save you. But he did care. I'm not praising him for the way he's treated both you and Luffy. But he did care."

Ace scoffed. "Just not enough."

"Just not enough," Marco agreed. He rubbed Ace's back, and he wasn't hungry anymore. He had eaten most of the food, but couldn't finish the rest. "I don't want that man to see me weak," Ace mumbled, meaning Roger.

Marco said, slowly, cautiously, "When he was upset when you stormed off, his entire demeanor fell, and he looked and sounded like a child. I don't think you need to worry about what he thinks of you for being upset your grandfather let you die." Ace's eyes locked with Marco's, and he ran his hands through his wavy black hair.

"Fair enough. But I don't want to talk to him on the ship. Somewhere alone, where no one will see how I act," Ace responded. Ace didn't finish his food, and Deuce offered to take it back inside. Ace was so grateful for him. He didn't hold the grudge over him for leaving anymore. None of the other Spades who weren't on the ship had made contact with them. Which hurt, to be honest. But he tried not to dwell on it.

Ace stood up awkwardly when he saw Rouge and Roger come out from inside, holding hands. He automatically hid around the corner. And he felt weak for it. Marco walked over and stood with him. "Want me to tell them you would talk to Roger in private?" Ace nodded, and Marco walked back around the corner.

The fire starter could hear Marco talking to Roger about Ace seeing him in private later. Ace winced at the "Really?!" that Roger voiced. He sounded so excited. He also heard Pops tell him not to get his hopes up. Ace nodded, glad Pops had said that. "When does he want to meet up?" the former pirate king asked.

Marco set a time for Ace since he probably knew Ace would have a hard time choosing. "How about before lunch at that same place from yesterday?" Ace thought it was a good time, hopefully it wouldn't be so uncomfortable to eat in the same room if Roger was to eat with them at lunch as well.

"Okay!" Roger said excitedly. Ace didn't expect him to sound so young. Not young in how his voice sounded, but how happy he seemed.

"I'm happy for you, honey. But if you make him upset, I'll kick your ass," Rouge said pleasantly, and Ace snorted into his hand. Roger promised he'd do his best to not upset Ace. He sounded so in love. If Ace didn't know the feeling, then he'd think it was disgusting. But he loved Marco, so he knew how it felt and could sympathize with the couple.

Marco walked back over and told him the plan was set. "Thanks, Marco," Ace said, and leaned forward for a kiss. The phoenix kissed him back, pinning him against the wall. Ace was surprised with the intensity, but didn't protest. There was no one over there in the first place.

When he pulled back, Ace had swollen lips and flushed cheeks. "I'm proud of you." Oh. That's why he was so enthusiastic. The younger smiled at him. "I wonder how he will act," he added in a curious voice.

"I'll tell you all about it afterwards," Ace promised. Marco smiled and thanked him. For the couple hours before the meeting time and place, Marco took Ace into town and they explored for a bit to lessen Ace's nerves. He was like a child when they went to the candy store, and picked out everything he could afford with the allowance he was given. Each member was given spending money for an island. It wasn't as much as it used to be since they didn't have as much money, but it was enough to buy a good amount of candy. Marco thought it was entertaining.

When it was time, Marco walked him to the place where Roger was already waiting, looking just as nervous as Ace. He didn't expect to see the monster he felt he was like this, looking so vulnerable. Rouge was there, too, talking to her partner in a caring voice.

Marco and Ace stopped a few yards away from them and Roger and Rouge both looked up. The mother smiled brightly while Roger bit his lip worriedly. "Ace!" Rouge said, and hurried over to hug him. "I'm happy you came." Ace nodded, glad he hadn't upset her. He looked to the side of her to see Roger again. He looked so small, and Ace didn't his best not to glare, though he couldn't help the small frown. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Marco, walk with me?" she asked, and Marco nodded and left, giving a kiss to Ace's cheek.

Ace turned and sat across from Roger at the picnic table. Neither seemed to know what to say. It was an uncomfortable silence until Roger was the one to speak first. "I'm proud of you. You've turned into an incredibly strong man," he said. Ace didn't reply for a moment.

"That's true sometimes, I guess," Ace said slowly. He was not strong mentally. He broke down, he had nightmares, he had panic attacks, though they weren't frequent anymore. They were there, but not often, which he was glad of. Roger frowned at his answer.

"So, how is life with old Newgate? He always takes great care of his sons." Ace was surprised that Roger sounded fine with Ace calling someone other than him "father". But Ace smiled, glad to talk about Pops.

"Pops is the best. I didn't want to join at first, they kidnapped me. But I ended up joining in the end and becoming a commander," Ace began. He always loved bragging about his father, like he had with Luffy. "They came to save me at Marineford. It wasn't them who saved me, though. It was Luffy." He smiled, thinking of Luffy's bravery. And stupidity, but he'd lived.

Roger looked surprised and then laughed. "Well, I should thank him someday. Someone like that could definitely become the next pirate king!" Ace nodded. Luffy would become the pirate king. Ace had no doubt, and was now rooting him on as well.

Ace sighed, though. Luffy saved him from the execution. But he'd spit it in his face by not running. "Luffy got me away from the execution, but I still died. I was stupid. I got upset, and didn't keep running. Luffy was really sick and injured when he showed up from Impel Down. Yeah, he broke into Impel Down to save me. But he collapsed, and Akainu was going to kill him, so I shielded him."

Roger looked stunned, but then smiled. "You are definitely a D. They are loyal and don't fear death. I heard about how you died. It must have been very traumatizing and agonizing. I'm sorry about what happened." But he lost his smile when Ace started to tremble, his hands fisted tightly on the table, knuckles turning white. He started to sweat and breathe heavily.

His death hadn't been mentioned like that so openly in weeks. No one mentioned how god awfully painful it was. And he was having a panic attack. "Ace? Are you alright?" Roger asked in worry. Ace scrunched his eyes closed, trying to let it pass. Roger then seemed to know what was happening. "You're no longer there, Ace. You're here, with your family pieced back together. No one is dead or hurt. You're not there, Ace." He started coaching Ace how to breath slowly, and Ace gradually came down from the episode.

He was absolutely humiliated, and hid his red face in his hands. "Sorry," Ace said, words muffled by his words.

"Don't worry about it. I had people on my crew who had panic attacks. Not everyone, even pirates, can handle near-death often," Roger said back with a smile. He really didn't seem like Ace was weak at all. Ace only took his hands down when his face was no longer red. "I am sorry I said the wrong thing." Ace nodded, but didn't say anything back.

After a moment of silence, Ace said, "I want to apologize about my behavior yesterday. I've hated you for so long, so it's weird meeting you and you not being some vicious murderer who enjoys it. I don't know what to think." Roger smiled.

He said, in a cheerful voice, "You can hate me. You have reasons, but I am just happy I get to talk to you once. It's more than I can ask for. And I have killed people, but I never killed innocent people. I was and am a pirate, killing comes with the job." Ace knew that was true, and he'd killed people before as well. He didn't enjoy killing, but he enjoyed the fight.

"So, you and Marco, huh?" he asked curiously. Ace nodded. "You know, when he was a kid, he looked a lot less bored. Haha! I wonder what made him seem so bored."

Ace was very interested in kid Marco. "Maybe age changed him. What was he like as a kid?" he asked, leaning forward, elbows on the table.

"He was bright. An apprentice on the ship. That was thirty years ago. He was glued to Newgate's shoulder often. He was strong even then, when he didn't have his devil fruit. You know, I stole the previous second division commander, and now my son took his place. Ahahaha!" Roger said, sounding quite amused. Ace asked him about the previous one, and it was a long and interesting story.

By the time it was dinner, they'd talked for over five hours, and had skipped lunch. Both of their stomachs were rumbling angrily, but they didn't pay much attention.

Rouge came back and insisted that they eat, and had a basket of food set up to eat. Marco was there, too. Had he been with Rouge the whole time? Marco gave him a proud and fond smile, and Ace looked away with a blush.

The group ate together until it got dark, and Ace was growing tired, wishing for a nap. "Well, we are leaving tomorrow. We'll say goodbye before then. Please, Ace, keep in touch?" Rouge asked. Ace grinned and promised he would. Roger looked overjoyed, and Ace wasn't sure if he would write to him or just his mom.

He left the dinner feeling very conflicted. Roger didn't seem so bad, after all. Was everything that was told to him a lie? If he was a good person, why was Ace killed for it? Did he actually have demon's blood in him? Was he actually the son of a monster? He didn't say anything about what they talked about that night, and retired to bed immediately. He put the den den connected to Rouge's on the wall next to his little collage of family photos.

He fell asleep surprisingly quickly.

-x-

Marco watched with proud eyes the next day when Ace was on the docks, saying goodbye to his biological parents. Pops was beside him, the same look on as Ace hugged his mother and shook Roger's hand. They both looked so happy, tears in Rouge's purple eyes. Roger was grinning like a madman, the grin for which he was known for. Ace turned around once they left and walked back onto the ship with a soft smile on.

Marco hugged him when he stepped back on the deck. Pops put his hand on Ace's shoulder with a proud look on his face as well. "You just defeated some of your demons, you know." Ace blushed and nodded. "Should I be worried?" Ace gave him a deadpanned look, and Pops laughed. Ace smiled, too.

They set sail at the same time that the Roger pirates did, though they went in opposite directions. The Whale and both mini Mobys left. Until they had more people to go on missions, the Moby 2 and 3 were sailing with them.

Marco was in the communications room, working on calling any of the rest of the crew. They still had many to collect, even though they all knew they wouldn't get everyone back. But they hoped for as many as possible.

The newspaper that day brought good news. There were reports of where the Whitebeard's were, due to marines finally getting back to tailing them from a distance just like they had before. Pops was called a yonko again in the article that told the public that Roger and Whitebeard had met. It said neither name, but instead the former pirate king and the reinstated yonko.

What really was good was Teach's reaction. He was a yonko as well, so his ship was tailed just like Shanks' and the Whitebeard's were. He had fled the island they'd taken refuge on, and moved to one even further away from where his old crew was. He was terrified, and man, was it satisfying. Marco couldn't wait to see him shaking him his boots. He couldn't wait for that sneer and smirk to disappear from his disgusting face, and not only because he has the ugliest smile Marco had ever seen.

He was about to leave when a den den from one of their _old_ islands rang. Marco was shocked, since this one was under Big Mom's protection. Marco wondered how they would get back their islands. It would be a fight to return them to who they truly belonged to.

Marco picked it up, "This is Marco."

"Long time no talk!" the mayor said. It was a woman on that island named Nina. Marco remembered her specifically since she had openly said Ace was very attractive back before he was together with him. He remembered feeling irate with the woman, commenting on _his_ Ace. It was silly in hindsight. "So, one of your crew washed up on our beach. He's confused and missing a leg. He was naked when he washed up.

"We've treated him, and he's sedated so can't call you. So we wanted to do it for him. We owe you all for your protection those years ago," Nina explained. Marco couldn't think of anyone who it might be.

"Did he give his name?"

The snail shook its head. "No, he was too knocked out. Had a nasty infection. Think he got attacked by a sea king or shark. He will live, but he will need a prosthetic lower leg." Marco then asked what he looked like. "Long brown hair, and a scar next to his left eye, Whitebeard tattoo on his leg. When he wakes up I'll have you call him."

Marco dropped the den den mushi, in shock and tears in his eyes. Nina asked what happened, and Marco shook his head before picking up the snail. "Sorry. We will be coming to that island as soon as possible. And his name is Thatch." His voice choked up at the name. No one thought he would be alive again, since he was burned! How had he survived so long out in the ocean?

But he was alive! Marco thanked Nina from the bottom of his heart and told her to make sure Thatch called when he was awake. When the snail hung up, Marco fell to his knees and began to sob. He got himself under control before he headed outside and to Pops on his chair. He noticed Marco red-rimmed eyes and looked concerned. Ace wasn't outside, so Marco could tell him once everyone knew. Everyone had to know.

"Son, what happened?" Whitebeard asked in worry. But Marco smiled, though it was a bit wobbly.

"We have to go to one of our old protected islands. Pops… he's alive. Thatch is alive. He washed up on their beach! He's really injured, he lost a leg, and he's still sedated. But it's him, he has long brown hair, scar next to his eye and our mark on his leg. They think a sea king got ahold of him," Marco explained so happily, and Whitebeard broke into a watery grin again. "Our family really is mending!" Marco cried, tears falling down his face in relief and joy. Whitebeard stood up and hugged him.

People had gathered at hearing Marco's sobs, clutching Pops. Ace had come out and ran over to his crying lover, concerned and asking frantically what was wrong, just like everyone else was. "Don't worry, my sons. They are tears of happiness. We were wrong. Thatch did come back. We have to go pick him up."

Cheers and cries broke out on deck. Tears like many felt when seeing Pops and Ace. The ship was immediately turned around, since they were going in the other direction. It was great they had detailed maps of the New World from Pops' time as a pirate for the last fifty years. They knew where every island was.

They set sail in that direction in less than five minutes. Marco hurried back to the intelligence room and brought the den den out, while everyone waited for the call to come. They all sat on the deck of The Whale, sitting and waiting patiently, silent so they could hear if the snail rang.

It did, five hours later. Marco immediately picked up the receiver. "Thatch?"

"Yeah! What the hell happened? Why did I wash up on the beach? What the hell is going on, man?" Thatch asked frantically. The crew broke into joyous laughter and cries. Marco grinned, Ace was crying, and Pops was smiling softly at the sound of his son's voice. His son who had been killed was back.

"Have you been explained about everyone coming back to life?" Marco asked.

The den den nodded and Thatch asked how that had happened. Marco shared a look with the captain, who nodded. They would be there in weeks, and didn't want to leave Thatch hanging for all that time. "Thatch, you were murdered. By Teach, or Blackbeard now. He killed you for that fruit you found."

"Wh-What?" he whispered. The pirates all felt for him.

Marco sighed. "Yeah. He was a rotten apple we hadn't realized. He killed you, and Ace went after him. He was caught and turned into the marines." Marco looked to Ace, not knowing if he should bring up the war after learning Ace had a panic attack back with Roger when he mentioned it. But Ace nodded at him, and put his fingers in his ears with a reassuring smile. "There was a war. Ace died and Teach killed Pops. But they're alive now and healthier than they were before," he quickly added.

Thatch was speechless. The den den had tears in its eyes. They knew long ago that, if he was alive, Thatch would take the betrayal very hard. He loved everyone, trusted them with everything. And here he'd been murdered by one of his precious brothers. "I'm really sorry, Thatch. We couldn't save you, and we're all so sorry."

"Son, it is so good to hear your voice," Whitebeard said earnestly.

"Pops… I'm sorry I wasn't there. To save Ace. I'm so sorry," Thatch lamented. Whitebeard shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault that Ace decided to try and take care of Teach. And we wouldn't have won anyway. I would have died regardless. Unless we'd had another yonko, we would have lost in the end. I chose that place to die, and there is nothing you could have done to stop it," the captain said truthfully. "But, everything is going back to how it was. We've collected 630 of our family, we have a new ship. We are all so happy you're alive."

Ace spoke next, his tears having subsided. "What happened to your leg, Thatch?"

The den den mushi grew angry. "A sea king got me! I just woke up floating in the middle of the ocean! Stupid sea king, but I only lost a leg. Thank goodness it wasn't an arm or I wouldn't be able to cook! Or fight," he added. "The people here offered to make me a prosthetic. They're all so sweet! And there are a lot of kids. Aww, they're adorable!" he gushed, and everyone was grinning. It was definitely Thatch. He was so happy.

"It's lucky you aren't a devil fruit user, then," Haruta said, leaning forward to be heard better. He had been sobbing, too. He was always Thatch's partner in crime with pranks. The ship had been devoid of them after Thatch was killed.

The den den nodded. "So, are we going after Teach?"

The entire crew said "hell yeah". Thatch said he wanted part in it. "Hey, Ace. You jealous your brother got stronger than you?" he teased. Ace frowned.

"He's not stronger than me, he's just done more reckless things!" Ace protested. "I just have to do more crazy shit and then I'll catch up, just you wait!" Thatch broke into laughter, and the crew spent hours talking to him about small things and big things. They talked into the night, even after dinner time.

Marco knew everyone had missed his cooking. They said so, and Thatch was so proud, and agreed that he'd make the best food for everyone with a celebration party. They eventually had to eat, so the sou chefs, who were happy to get their commander back, went to cook.

"We have an updated kitchen that you'll be happy with," Ace said when it was just the commanders and a handful of others still on the line.

"Oooh! Really? A nice stove with all the burners working?" he asked excitedly.

"Yup! And there are sixteen burners! There were only ten on the other one! And we have a really nice freezer separated from the three fridges! Oh, you're going to love it," Ace replied with a grin. Marco smiled at him, knowing he must be feeling like a weight was lifted off his chest. Thatch was alive. And they could avenge him against Teach while he was with them.

They couldn't thank whatever brought them back to life enough. It had been healing their family. Fusing them back in place instead of using the flimsy tape it had been under Marco's leadership. "Hey, Thatch. Guess what's crazy? Pops has sworn off of alcohol."

"I don't appreciate lies, Marco," the snail said, and the commanders all laughed, along with the captain.

"No, it's true. I need to be as healthy as I can to take care of my sons," Pops said. Thatch's jaw dropped and it showed on the den den. They eventually hung up, going to dinner, all overjoyed. These last months had been filled with so much happiness and love. He couldn't possibly be more content and looking forward to the future, something he had assumed would always be bleak. Always be lonely.

He had had no way to get the crew back together, but Pops could. Not many one could resist it after the love he showed to his sons and allies. Dinner, not surprisingly, suddenly tasted much worse than it had during lunch. They were now comparing it to Thatch's food. It couldn't be helped.

For bedtime, Marco and Ace cuddled together, both smiling softly until they fell asleep. Marco saw, before his eyes slid shut, that Ace was even smiling in his sleep. He kissed his forehead softly before dozing off as well.

The next three weeks were full of impatience. From everyone. They wanted Thatch back, damnit! It was taking too long. The Moby 2 and 3 had been sent on their first missions two weeks prior, with one commander on each ship. They were to go and pick up brothers who they knew the whereabouts of. It would be quicker than having The Whale go and pick up each island. That would take awhile of back and forth sailing.

Those who were the more irate were probably the fourth division. Since word of Thatch being alive had come out, their food was not so tasty anymore. There was nothing wrong with what they were cooking, it was everyones' mindset. Pops had tried to explain that to them, but they still weren't happy when many just picked at their food.

They finally arrived at Big Mom's island, one that had been hers before Whitebeard's death, and the pirates leapt off the ship, with only a handful of the stronger pirates staying on the ship. Ace all out sprinted to where they knew Thatch had been staying. Marco flew alongside him. They were two of the most physically fit of the crew, and were fastest.

Ace slammed open the hotel doors, and ran to the counter while Marco let his wings turn back into arms. "We're here to see Thatch!" Ace said with a bright grin. It was very early morning, but she gave them the room key.

Both hurried to his room, and didn't even think to knock before slamming the door open, where Thatch was laying on the bed, snoring. He was in pyjamas and socks, though one foot definitely looked different from the other.

The youngest jumped onto the bed, scaring the crap out of Thatch before he saw who it was, and hugged Ace. "Hey, death buddy," Thatch said lightly, and Ace didn't have a panic attack, and just snorted. Marco was smiling a watery smile. He looked at Ace's attire, and asked why he was wearing a shirt and his tattoo was now on his front.

Thatch had been someone Ace had connected with most, so he took the open shirt off and turned around. Marco watched as Thatch covered his mouth in horror at the wound. Marco looked away, unable to handle seeing it.

"Oh, Ace. I'm so sorry," he said in a hush. Ace turned and smiled at him.

"It's not so bad. I don't have to see it. The tattoo covers the exit wound. It went completely through. From Akainu. It was to protect Luffy. He was the one who saved me before I was stupid," he said lightly. "If I hadn't done that, Lu would have died."

Thatch still looked troubled. "I have a scar on my back, too. It's not a very good thing, huh?" Ace shook his head. Marco thought that Ace might feel better about not being the only one, even if he felt bad it happened to Thatch, too.

Marco said, "Pops looks much worse. He has scars and burns all over his body. It's not pretty." Thatch frowned deeply, eyes looking in anguish.

He cleared his throat and then said, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, Marco. I heard that the crew fell apart after Pops died, and I wish I had been there for you for emotional support." Marco looked sad.

He replied with, "It would not have been any different. Pops was gone, the anchor of the crew had died. The commanders stayed united, but we had to split and go into hiding for safety. Now we're back together, and the Moby 2 and 3 are out getting more of our crew. Do you remember anything from that night? The last one you remember?"

The chef shook his head. "I just remember being out on deck, standing by the railing. Then I woke up in the middle of the ocean. Man, it was fuckin' scary. I could tell there were sea kings all around me. Good thing is that, when the sea king got me, it dragged me along for a while until I punched it in the eye with haki. It let me go, though my leg was gone. I swam awhile, and then passed out from hunger and dehydration. Then I woke up on a beach, naked and surrounded by strangers.

"These villagers have taken good care of me," he added. Then he sighed. "I still can't believe what Teach has done. It boggles my mind. He was a good liar, faker, imposter. I heard he took over our islands, and somehow stole Pops' fruit. He doesn't have it anymore, right?" Marco shook his head and told him Ace and Pops' devil fruits were back.

"Teach is rotten to the core. We're going to kill him soon enough. After we collect the rest of the crew. All of the commanders are back, thankfully. We still have a long way to go, but hopefully the Moby 2 and 3 will find a bunch of the crew," Marco explained. Thatch nodded, and smiled at his brothers.

He got up and hugged Marco. Marco hugged him back tightly. He had a slight wobble from the prosthetic leg, but was walking well otherwise. "Can we see the prosthetic?" Marco asked. Thatch nodded, and lifted his pyjama pants. He still had his upper leg, but his calf and foot were both gone. It was made of metal mostly. Not a stump of a leg made of wood.

Thatch shook it a bit. "It's hard to get used to, but it's better than nothing. I'll get the hang of it just fine soon enough," he said lightly. "It would have been nice to be a logia so I wouldn't have lost it, but I would have drowned if I did have a fruit. So, what's with the whole resurrection thing? The people here only came back if they died in the last seven months, but I read that some islands have it happen for over 20 years."

Marco and Ace both shrugged. There was no answer to give. Nobody knew yet. Or at least, no one was told. It seemed much too strong to be a devil fruit power, but then again, Pops could destroy the world if he wished.

"I… I heard that even Roger came back! That's crazy, man!" Marco glanced at Ace, and they both realized Thatch didn't know about his affiliation. Everyone else in the world did, so Ace told him.

"You don't know this, but everyone else does. Roger is my biological father," Ace said smoothly. Thatch's jaw dropped. "That's why my e-execution was such a big deal. I met him. I have hated him my whole life. A lot of bad things happened to me and were said to me because of who he was. I didn't want to meet him, but I felt pity, so I met with him. It went better than I'd thought.

"And I got to meet my mom, too," Ace said with a smile. "Marco told me she threatened to kill him if he broke my heart," Ace added with a snort. Marco chuckled. Rouge had indeed threatened him. He'd never met a woman that scared him as much as she did. She was perfectly nice for most of it, but Marco could see which one Ace got his temper from those years ago. Both that and his childhood.

Thatch burst out into laughter, pointing at Marco. Marco shook his head, though he was far from irritated with Thatch. Suddenly a huge flood of people crammed into the room, jumping Thatch and being quite loud.

"You guys realize this is a hotel and it's six in the morning, right?" Marco asked loudly. The commanders all stopped shouting and scolded their underlings for being too loud. Thatch was under all of them, so happy to see them while many of the commanders were openly crying. Things really were coming together. If it was a devil fruit user who'd done this, Marco wished he could thank whoever it was for fixing his family up.

They paid for Thatch's stay and dragged him out of the hotel and back to the ship. The chef was wobbly a bit, still not completely used to being on a fake leg. It was lucky he was able to use his knee, though.

"Hey, Thatch? How long has it been since you woke up?" Izo asked. Thatch answered that it'd been about a week. The rest of them looked surprised. "What? What is it?"

Marco said, "Well, the rest of the world woke up a couple months ago." The others nodded, all the commanders were there now, all grinning bright smiles. Except Kingdew, who rarely smiled. But he had a look of content on. "Maybe it took longer since you were cremated and not buried like Ace and Pops."

Thatch wasn't upset that he was burned, since that was how you disposed of bodies on the sea. There was nowhere to bury them and you couldn't exactly just keep a dead body on the ship indefinitely. He did grow upset about Ace and Pops' death again, and put his arm around Ace's shoulder, like the old days, before everything fell apart starting by Thatch's murder.

"I wish I was there for all of you when they died," he said sincerely. The commanders waved it off, saying it would have been bad regardless. And Marco knew that was true. Since the day he'd become the captain, things had rapidly unraveled. They were put through the universe's blender. Again and again bad things fell upon them.

Thatch died, Ace and Pops died, Teach beat them, they were hunted by a sniveling brat, they had to break up for over a year. It had been unfortunate thing after unfortunate thing. Marco shook himself out of those thoughts, remembering things were good again.

Ace had a look of contemplation as he looked at his fingernails. "You know… Pops mustache isn't growing back, and my hair isn't growing any longer. My fingernails haven't grown since I woke up. Do you think our bodies will age?" he asked curiously, brows furrowed.

The commanders were quiet for a moment, pondering that good question. They settled with shrugs. "Guess we'll see," Vista said. "I hope that Pops won't age. And Ace will be young for a long time, then."

Ace didn't look upset about it, per say, but he did glance at Marco, mouth turned down for just a second. Marco gave him a reassuring smile, and Ace lost the frown, jumping into a conversation with Thatch about how badass his brother was now and that he wanted Thatch to meet him. All of the other commanders met him, even if it was incredibly brief.

Thatch definitely wanted to meet him. "After his adventure in Wano is over, then we can track him down and find him! And once the crew is built back up as best as it can be, and after we ruin Teach and take back our islands, I want to go and find my other brother. That shit-head was alive all this time and never told me. I'm gonna punch him before I hug him."

Everyone laughed at that, and Ace frowned, saying he was totally serious. And they knew he was.

When they reached the ship, collecting pirates along the way, Pops was waiting by the railing, and when he saw his long-lost son, he broke into a wide grin. But when they got closer, Thatch looked horrified, hand in front of his gaping mouth like he had for Ace. He was the only one who hadn't seen what Pops looked like in his death.

"I… I thought you were exaggerating," he said in a hush. They walked up the plank, and Thatch walked to his father, eyes flicking to each and every visible scar or burn. Some looked similar to Ace's. "Pops… Oh my god," Thatch muttered, but Whitebeard smiled at him.

"Don't be so sad, son," he replied, and hugged Thatch. "I am alive and well, except for my mustache. As of now, I'm sad to say I don't think it will grow back. Just like Ace hasn't changed at all with his own hair. But being alive again, well an uneven mustache is not the worst price to pay."

There was a huge group hug, another dogpile with Thatch at the center. He shouted he couldn't breathe, but was still smiling. They asked about his prosthetic leg, so he lifted it up. He would need new clothes. And his hair wasn't up, but in a bun at the top of his head, like how Ace wore his sometimes when it got too long. Now it would never be too long. So far, that is. He showed the leg and then went to Fossa, and handed him a piece of paper. "Doc gave this to me, about how to do maintenance on it when needed," he explained. Fossa accepted it and left to bring it to the room with important paperwork.

Of course, there was a party that night, though they left the island so they didn't risk Big Mom finding out they were there and the citizens had harbored a Whitebeard pirate. Things were getting better every day, and everyone knew it.

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**Hahaha! Got you! Did you really think it was a fix-it without T** **hatch coming back? Lol, I've been looking forward to posting this chapter since the start. And I hoped you liked Roger and Ace's interactions. I really hope everyone is happy I brought Thatch back. Love the guy, couldn't let him stay dead.**


	11. The Spades' Decision

**Asuriel: Yes, yes they do. After everything, they all deserve to be happy.**

**MaskedPyro: I love Thatch, too. Originally, at the beginning of the story I was going to leave him out, but that decision didn't last long.**

**Wulfie89: I knew everyone would be happy I brought Thatch back. I was looking forward to posting that chapter from the start. Lovable Thatch makes everything better.**

**Maldea: Thank you, I'm glad!**

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: Thatch is my fav commander and then Marco. I couldn't let him stay dead.**

**iMelshls: I wish this was cannon as well. I'm mad at Oda, still, for killing Ace and Whitebeard. And I felt that Garp let Luffy punch him cause he couldn't bear to hurt him (besides "training), since there were two flashbacks of Luffy's childhood with Garp. But he was very angry about the way Ace died. Still wasn't enough for me. I wish he would have done something to try and save him. It was so sad when Garp started crying on the execution platform, though. But I still think he should have done something, though he would have lost his job.**

**Starlieyed: That's a great idea! I might do that for a handful of the characters. There won't be many since barely any good guys die (besides THE BEST guys!) lol.**

**Samster7241: <3 <3 <3**

**Ariel_Lazarus: I wanted to make Roger a good guy, and for Ace to not hate him and let go of some of the hate he'd been suffering all his life. And I'm pissed about Garp as well. Bad grandfather. He can cry, but he did nothing to try and save Ace, even if he gave up his job.**

**Iris Viggiano: I've noticed so many people like the sleeping scenes with Ace. So cute and innocent. In another fic, when he's sleeping with Marco, it's so cute cause he hogs the blanket completely until he's stuck in a cocoon.**

**Arok: :) I'm glad everyone is happy.**

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**OMG so many comments! Thank you everyone who commented! Lots of Teach bashing in this, but I'm sure everyone doesn't care about that! Some angst, too. I put Ace through so much. Enjoy~ (sorry all of my fics are a day late. I'm an idiot and thought there were only 30 days in May, lol)**

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By the end of the week, 426 new pirates were back on the ship. Since not all of them could fit on both mini Mobys, many were on smaller boats being pulled from behind both of the sister ships. Now they had 1,056 members. It was wonderful, and many divisions were being pieced back together. After an incident at a marine base, where Thatch had his fun, really already very good at his new lower leg, a new list was put out.

In the paper, there had never been lists, but dozens of wanted posters. This time, there was a long, long list that took eight pages of the entire paper in tiny font, a list of all known people who had come back in the last couple of months. Ace, Pops, and Thatch were all recorded. In counting, there were 980,000,000 new people.

Islands that were overloaded with people had shortages in resources. The people who were luckiest in the world were the pirates. They didn't live on crowded islands, but out at sea. The previous islands they'd been to had not been too overpopulated due to their very small number of citizens. Plus, each island was different in how many people were resurrected. No one was surprised that the sudden influx of people was not good for the state of the world, but surely those who had loved ones come back to life thought it was worth it?

Ace sat at the crowsnest with Thatch. They had become closer in the way they had both died and were shut out of the world for so long and came back when it was totally different. Ace had started using Thatch's term for 'death buddies'.

"Thatch? I'm really sorry I was unable to avenge you. That was my whole mission and I totally failed, y'know? It was my fault Teach got away," Ace said sadly, looking at the endless blue horizon.

Thatch put his hand on Ace's shoulder. "It doesn't matter anymore. Everything he's done to our crew, has been erased. We get a second chance, and we definitely won't take it for granted. Besides, everything started when I found the fruit. Shoulda' chucked it into the ocean or something." Ace could hear the guilt in Thatch's voice, as it often was when he brought up this topic, even though everyone told him it wasn't his fault.

Teach would have betrayed sometime sooner or later. "If it's not my fault, then it's not your fault either," Ace said. Thatch smiled, and Ace returned it. "Man, I really want you to meet Luffy. You guys are so similar. Both charismatic idiots."

"Hey!"

Ace laughed, and Thatch joined in, too. Ace was happier than he'd ever been after his death. The things that had happened from his failure were erased. At least, in the major ways. The crew still had fallen apart, and that would never leave those who were there for that. But they were healing. The puzzle pieces were fitting back together.

Even if Ace still had nightmares and the occasional panic attack, mostly in private, things were better. All of his loved ones were alive again. Even Sabo. Ace wondered where he was and what he was doing. Something must have happened to him. Maybe he didn't remember him, and that's why he never looked for Ace and Luffy.

Well, he found Luffy but not Ace. The freckled commander knew that Sabo loved both of them, and he wouldn't purposely leave and never see them again. Until after he died. But how did he leave Dawn Island? Who took him? There were so many questions he had that he wanted answers for.

There was a meeting that night with the commanders and captain. They sat in the meeting room that was so similar to the Moby Dick's, only they'd gotten nicer chairs. They used to just be wooden, but now they were plush. If Ace still had his narcolepsy, he'd probably have fallen asleep. Hell, he might even when he _didn't_ have narcolepsy.

It was a briefing from the commanders who had gone on the trip. Those were Atmos and Jiru. they had traveled to multiple islands each, collecting their brothers. But, according to them, there were many that refused to come back. It wasn't always because they just didn't want to be a pirate again, but some had found families or lovers, and didn't want to leave.

Others, however, had not recovered from the two wars, and didn't want to risk going through something like that ever again. Ace couldn't help but feel guilt for the hate he'd felt towards those who abandoned. Many had left even before the Payback war. If it was even a war, and not a massacre.

He could understand having trauma, and hadn't even considered the horror his brothers went through there. Friends died. Injuries were made, like Jozu's missing arm. The terror of those magma fists falling from the sky. The violence the marines harbored. It wasn't a pretty event. So Ace could not bring himself to be angry at them.

It felt good, to not be angry. According to Atmos and Jiru, not a single former pirate had left because Marco was a bad captain. The commanders and captain knew that was how he felt, and when he was told that, he hid his face in his hands to not show the tears.

Ace's chair was next to him, and he put his arm around his lover in comfort. They were tears of relief, Ace knew. Whitebeard laughed, and told Marco "I told you so." The table chuckled, and Marco threw a glare at the captain. "So, they are not coming back for anything?" Whitebeard asked, a twinge of sadness but understanding in his voice.

The two commanders nodded. "And that makes up everyone who is still alive?" Marco looked at the sheet of paper on the table. It was a list of everyone on the crew, and they checked off like a roll call on everyone they'd gathered. He nodded.

"Everyone has either returned or decided to stay away. There's no one left to collect," Marco said. Ace grew sad that his crew, previous crew, had not come back. It hurt him, but he knew that they did not not come back because of Ace. "The nurses did not return either. Whiskey was mad and offended at Pops for kicking her off during the fight and Tami and Amy found husbands. We'll have to rely on Marco and Curiel. And Deuce."

"Ace, one of your old crew told me to give this to you," Atmos said, and handed Ace an envelope. Ace pocketed it, not wanting to read it at the table, not wanting to cry if it was something bad.

Haruta asked the captain, "Well, what do we do now?"

Whitebeard did not look happy when he answered. "We have healed our crew. Or are at least on our way. Now it's time to heal our reputation. We're going after Teach now."

The commanders gave sadistic smiles or cracked their knuckles threateningly. Both Ace and Marco flared up, fire off of their shoulders. It was time for revenge. They were going to take back their status and reputation. They'd take down the Blackbeard pirates. And now Ace wasn't alone, and knew of Teach's power. He also knew haki now. That could change the outcome of the fight, but he knew he would not be the one dealing with Teach. Pops should. Thatch wished he could avenge himself, but Pops deserved and could be the only one to deal with him.

Pops was killed by him, it was his fruit that was stolen, his islands ravished, his family shattered, his status taken, and it was his strength that would give victory to a crew that had already failed in taking their enemy down. The commanders could deal with his crew.

Haruta had still been in charge of intelligence even when they were in hiding, and had extensive information about each member of the Blackbeard crew. Thorough evidence of their abilities, history, and role on the crew. It was time for them all to learn and plan. They would win.

Haruta left to get the packet on the Blackbeard pirates, and came back with a folder so thick it could barely close. "What? Why wouldn't I keep tabs on them?" he asked when everyone looked shocked at the size.

"Good job, son. Your thoroughness will save us a lot of hassle," Pops said, and Haruta blushed, putting the packet on the table and sliding it to Pops. He read off the names of each member. "Teach, Jesus Burgess, Shiryu, Van Augur, Avalo Pizarro, Laffitte, Catarina Devon, Sanjuan Wolf, Vasco Shot, and Doc Q. Multiple of them broke out of Impel Down just like those who entered Marineford with Luffy. From level 6, where Ace and Jinbei were held.

"Shiryu was one of the leaders at Impel Down, so he has to be strong. He now has the clear-clear devil fruit. Haki will help us deal with that one. Laffitte has an unnamed devil fruit that gives him wings like Marco. A gun would be best on that one since a sword will be hard to use against one that flies. The woman, Katarina Devon has a mythical devil fruit. Gives her the power to shapeshift.

"For that one, we can make it so we know who is real in case she imitates one of us. A fast question only we would know. A sword would do well on her, I think. Then the huge one, Sanjuan Wolf has a devil fruit that gives him the ability to be huge. He was bigger than some of the buildings in Marineford." Ace was shocked when Pops said he could stand in the ocean, he was so big. But he would be clumsy, being huge and a massive target.

Pops continued, reading off the rest of the crew. It was tiny compared to the Whitebeards. About as big as Luffy's crew. The rest did not use devil fruits, but weapons. Burgess was the one who used hand to hand most. Another hand to hand fighter would be best. Ace and Marco were the graceful ones with hand to hand. Others, like Kingdew, Namur and Jozu fought with fists, but they were not graceful.

They learned about their whereabouts, what they'd been doing the past two years. How many allies they had, which were not much. They had 43 allied crews, while Teach had two. "Why on earth is Aokiji supporting them?" Marco asked in shock.

Whitebeard and the rest who didn't know that were confused as well. The captain hummed. "I don't think Aokiji supports them. Maybe he is a spy, or something of that sort. He was too kind and liberal to truly support Teach."

"I will fight him again if he is there," Jozu said, looking at his missing arm angrily. It was Aokiji that gave him that wound.

"So, we just need to track him down, right?" Thatch asked.

Whitebeard nodded. "And in the meantime, we will train. Especially using haki. And we will study about the crew. Our family will not lose to him or his crew," he said with conviction. The crew cheered in agreement, hungry for revenge on the traitor.

Later that night, Ace sat on his bed and looked at the letter he was given. He was worried about what he'd read. But, he gathered the courage and opened it, pulling the folded paper out. At the bottom were the signatures of those who had not returned.

_Dear captain Ace,_

_We are so happy to learn you are alive and well, along with Whitebeard. We left, all of us, because we were not confident that we or the Whitebeards could protect us. It may have been cowardly. We also left because they were unable to save you. We were unable to as well, clearly._

_Those of us who did not go back want to tell you that we love you and are a close friend and captain. Our adventures around the world were fun and amazing. You helped us be happy for a long time. Even when you were a commander and had more duties, you made time for us._

_As much as we want to sail with you again, things have changed in the last two years. Our desire to be pirates has faded. We wish to see you again some day, come visit us so we can apologize in person._

_We want to see you, make sure you are okay, but we can't bring ourselves to be pirates once again. We were weak, and that made us guilty. But we are overjoyed you came back alive. We are not coming back not because of anything you did, but after going into hiding, most of us found a new life here. We have new families and lives and we can't bring ourselves to leave them and possibly never be able to return._

_Marineford really put it in perspective. We could die. Anything could happen, even a stupid mistake with a weak marine or pirate could be our end. And that thought terrifies us. We are not strong and confident like you and Deuce are. We are ashamed, but it is the hard truth._

_We will always call YOU our captain proudly. We love you and would be happy to see you again. We apologize if this letter hurts you, but we wanted you to know the truth. You always told us the truth, so why wouldn't we?_

_You found another family, and we are happy that you brought us with you, even if you were damn crazy for fighting Whitebeard for so long._

_Good luck taking down Teach. We look forward to his defeat and preferably death in the newspaper._

_-Your crew_

Ace had tears in his eyes the whole time he was reading, and they dripped onto the paper, smudging the ink. He was so happy they didn't not return because of him. He was glad they were happy now. He was unable to keep them happy. He noticed they did not use Pops, but Whitebeard.

Though he was upset, he felt lighter now knowing why. Why they didn't return to him. He wiped his eyes and sniffled once before folding up the paper and smoothly putting it back in the envelope, and then putting it in his dresser under everything.

He went to bed immediately after that. Marco came in a bit later, and didn't ask about the letter, just brought Ace into his arms. It was better than talking about it. He fell asleep in Marco's arms, tears clinging to his lashes.

Over the next week, all the commanders did was study and practice. To say the rest of the crew was angry that they were not allowed to fight was an understatement. Whitebeard had sternly said, "My order is final. The commanders will fight them. We will outnumber them and win. I know you all went through hell alongside you commanders, but I will not lose any members of my family. Do you understand me?"

The pirates' anger deflated into moping and pouts, but they didn't challenge the order again. Instead, they brought their commanders water and food while they trained. It was nice. Ace trained his haki and hand to hand combat with Marco and Deuce.

The commanders found out their best strengths and did research about who would match up best with Teach's crew. All a bunch of creepy looking people. He chose criminals as ugly as he is. It was only fitting. Saying that had brought a laugh out of Thatch. He was practicing fighting with the hindrance of his new leg. But he improved greatly, not that anyone was surprised. He had huge motivation.

After two weeks of almost non-stop training and planning, they each had a match up. Since there were 9 of them besides Teach, who would be against Pops, and there were 16 commanders, most were in pairs besides Marco and Ace. Marco was taking on Shiryu.

With Marco's devil fruit, he had enhanced senses, and he would easily be able to smell his opponent since he was able to turn invisible. If he smelled as bad as Teach, it would be easy. Ace thought it was funny that Marco would spend hours sniffing his brothers. Besides Ace, he knew his scent. But it was for a good reason, so the commanders weren't upset with it.

Ace just thought it was hilarious.

He would be matched against Burgess, being the best hand to hand combat fighter besides Marco and Jozu. Marco would be a good matchup against anyone since bullets and blades would not do anything to him. If they were imbued with haki, they would hurt, but the moment he got back, it would heal in a second.

He would also be a good match up for the other one that could fly, but he needed to take the second strongest, who was Shiryu.

Izo was the best marksman, and was skilled at sniping as well, though he mostly used pistols since they were easier to use. So he was going against Laffitte. He could shoot him from a distance. His sniper was high quality and very expensive, so it could do well against Laffitte.

Jozu was going against Caterina, along with Raykuo since they worked well together. Jozu would be unaffected by the whip and sword if he was in diamond form. He had no problem killing a woman. He'd gladly kill her if she was part of Teach's abominable crew.

Haruta was teaming up with Thatch since they worked very well together in almost everything they did. They trained together, Haruta attached to Thatch by the hip. They were going against Doc Q, who used a cyth. Thatch was experienced fighting with a cyth, which was pretty lucky. Haruta would be back up, and take the back when the enemy pirate was facing Thatch.

Curiel was going against their enemy's best marksman, Van Augur. Curiel was able to shoot bullets coming towards him, and was better with close up shooting, while his enemy was more specialized with sniping.

Atmos was taking on Avalo Pizzaro. It was a problem that most of the Blackbeards favored guns, while only a handful of commanders sused projectiles. They had unique weapons or swords. The reason Atmos was taking this guy was that he had very thick skin, so bullets wouldn't do too much damage.

Jiru was going to fight Vasco shot, another not good match up. Vasco used guns while Jiru used a jousting lance.

The remaining pirates, the biggest of them besides Jozu, would be after Sanjaun Wolf. They were still tiny compared to his size, but they were the strongest in brute force. They would just go for the eyes if that's what they had to do. No one knew what kind of fighter the massive pirate was, but they would see. The most skilled in their category were assigned, so while Sanjaun had many against him, it was mostly because they did not match up well with any others.

Even those who were not in a good match up were not afraid. They were excited and confident knowing Pops was there. Ace hadn't been there for the Payback war, obviously, but according to Marco, they weren't ready in mentality. They were all still freshly grieving, and clouded by anger at Teach killing Pops and desecrating his body. Now, however, they had someone to truly count on. Someone to fight for while not having their judgement clouded. Someone to rally around.

Time would be on their side. The commanders had moved on from their family's deaths and they were back now. It still hurt like hell, remembering the painful days, but they were able to function. Now they could focus and clear their minds in knowing that their father, their leader, was in tip top shape, better than he'd been in decades.

Ace was angry, but he knew it was nothing compared to how his brothers felt. After all, Ace hadn't needed to see what they did to Pops. How they killed him and messed with his body. So they all held a much deeper grudge. Ace was fighting to avenge Thatch and his failure. His brothers were there to destroy Teach's reputation while Pops destroyed his body.

Jesus would be a tough opponent, due to his strange shockwave power, but Ace had a way to counter that. He didn't take hits like that well in fire form. It would jar him but ultimately pass right through the flames. Haruta's intel would be what would truly give them an advantage. Teach already knew everything about them, but now they knew about his crew. And he had bragged openly about his power, so it was easy to understand how he used it.

After three weeks of sailing and keeping tabs on Teach in the papers, since his movement was tracked, they decided it was time to let the villain know they were after him. The ships docked at Hachinosu, where they knew Teach had previously lived before Pops was back. It was a crude looking place, full of bad pirates.

"All of you will leave or die!" Whitebeard bellowed off of the ship. Seeing him and the commanders all at the railing, the pirates fled. It was in their best interest to not interfere. The Whitebeards waited for them all to leave. They didn't wish to make more enemies by engaging in battle with all of them.

After they'd fled, Ace crouched on the railing and grinned that Pops' reputation was still one of a demon. If his reputation had truly been sullied, no one would be afraid of him. It was a relief that so many still feared him greatly. And they should. "Well, sons, It's time for our statement." The commanders and pirates out on deck cheered while Pops jumped onto the dock with a loud thud, the wood splintering just slightly. His bisento was still on the ship, and he went inland a bit away from the ship before he unleashed his power and decimated the entire island. He was at full power, unlike Marineford, and so his ability was even stronger while he was at full health. The island shook before the buildings crumbled and soon it was a pile of rubble. Waves rippled in one direction, heading in a place they knew none of their previous islands were at.

It was satisfying to see Teach's "home" be destroyed. To spit in his face even more, the commanders got on the island and used a light pole, ripping it out of the ground and shoving it deep into the rock in front of the entrance of the island. They hung a Whitebeard flag on it. The crew left that island feeling proud and entertained. Teach had a fear of death, and death was coming for him.

Ace imagined him shitting his pants and chuckled about it. "What are you laughing about?" Marco asked, kissing Ace.

"You'll think it's stupid," Ace replied, but when Marco gave him a look, he said, "Just imagining Teach shitting his pants in fear. Hey, I told you you'd think it's stupid."

Marco laughed, face bright and excited. Ace was happy Marco wasn't scared. It made him unafraid as well. "You know I never told him, but Teach smelled bad. I didn't want to be rude or cruel, but I did try to convince him mint ice cream was the best in the world. Just to get his breath maybe a bit more tolerable," he said with a grin.

Ace broke into laughter, and Marco joined in as well. Thatch and Haruta hurried over and demanded to know what was so funny. They thought Ace's imagining was much more entertaining than Marco did. Thatch was Marco's age yet he was so much more immature. But he loved him for it. He was so much like Luffy to him.

They hadn't heard anything in the paper about the Strawhats, meaning they hadn't ended their adventure in Wano. That meant they might not know about the rest of the world and think that only people there were waking up from the afterlife no one could remember.

"I'm gonna go write a letter and send it to mom before we catch up with Teach," Ace announced, and headed inside. His letter talked about everything he'd done since last seeing her. He didn't go into detail about their strategy in defeating the enemy, but he did say how he was improving. He asked for a photo of her to add to his collection of family photos. He even said to tell Roger hello.

Marco had been right. Absolving hate had felt good. Sabo would be so proud of him. He hoped to see him soon, but had no idea where to look. Plus, they were on their biggest mission. At least, Ace's. He imagined the mission to save him had been big, too.

They were sailing in the dark, just following the chain of islands that they were hoping Teach took. It might take them a while to reach him, but they would and could just train in the meantime.

Once it was known that who they had at the moment were all they were going to have, divisions changed. They evened out the numbers from the 1,056. It was a nice number, for it fit 66 members into each division. The lower ranking pirates had more duties to do since there were so few in their division. They were not happy about it, changing divisions they'd been in for so long, but it was necessary and everyone knew it.

On the bright side, they didn't spend as much as they did before. But that was pretty much it. They missed their closer brothers who had not wanted to come back. They might build their crew again, though it would take a long time to get back to 1,600. But they were in no hurry for more members. They had all 16 commanders, which was a blessing. And not just because two of them came back from the dead.

Three days after their statement on Hachinosu (or what had been Hachinosu) there was a response. Teach had been seen sailing away from the island from before, sailing further from them. It was like a cat and mouse. And the Whitebeards were a very hungry and very angry cat. But, they followed along. They'd catch him eventually. They would need to fight on an island for their plan to work in full, and he assumed Teach would want room to fight as well.

The question was when he would stop fleeing for his life. What kind of yonko acts like this? They're supposed to be fearless and confident. Luffy would make a far better yonko than Teach. What had Teach done in the last couple months compared to what Luffy had? Nothing. Luffy defeated another warlord (the third), Doflamingo, stole his kingdom from him, formed the Strawhat fleet, partnered up with another of the Worst Generation, fought and survived a fight with the Big Mom pirates, and were now presumably at Wano trying to take down another yonko.

And what had Teach done? Stayed at one island like a lazy bum. It was pathetic. But Teach had never been a very active person. He hadn't thought going on islands and exploring was much fun, and only went for bars and brothels. He was not fit to be a yonko. An inflated ego and confidence in one's self were different to Ace. Similar, but different. Someone truly confident didn't need to prove their worth to another by bragging.

Teach was worthless, and they'd prove that to the world by killing him and his crew.


	12. Invincible?

**Himiko: Thank you! The Whitebeards do deserve to take down Teach, painfully and embarrassingly. But they aren't so petty as to film it or anything and they send it to the news or something. More on Sabo later.**

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: I hope everyone is excited for the battle, even if it isn't too long and I'm not super good at fight scenes.**

**ThahnPhan: Yeah, I think Marco would have been hit the hardest in everything, since Whitebeard died and then he failed as captain, even if it wasn't his fault. Then he went into hiding. Must have all been so stressful and devastating. Marco deserves justice. I kinda wish he and Luffy would team up to avenge both Ace and Whitebeard (and Thatch), but I'm sure it will just be Luffy. Main character and all.**

**Iris Viggiano: <3 <3 The fight will be here soon. Look forward to it.**

**Ariel_Lazarus: Thank you!**

**Penguinfreak: It will get it's own one shot and isn't in this story.**

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**New** **revelations** **in this one about what happens to all of those who were resurrected. And we see someone at the very end that everyone will be happy about. I'll also be posting another story today since I have 8 on going so there would be one day that two stories are posted. It's the most current baby Luffy story. And the next couple chapters are shorter. It's just how it ended up after editing. Enjoy~**

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Marco was in the galley with Thatch late one night, Ace already in bed, helping him clean up. They'd had another party when they heard Teach had been a chicken again. They were chasing him across the New World. If they weren't feeling so impatient, it would be entertaining. Now it was just annoying and pathetic.

Thatch was washing the nice knives, not wanting to put them in the dishwasher. He had been enthralled with the new kitchen, which Marco was glad of. It would have sucked if Thatch hated his new kitchen. Marco looked up when he heard a sound of pain from Thatch. He looked over the counter and saw Thatch had badly cut his hand.

"Shit!" Thatch shouted, going to get a towel to put pressure on it. But Ace stopped him. "What?" Thatch asked hotly, but Ace pointed to his hand with wide eyes. Thatch looked down and looked at the pink line that had only seconds ago been a cut. The chef and first mate shared a look of shock, and Marco grabbed his hand harshly, inspecting it.

It was not like his phoenix powers, which got rid of any mark from any possible injury. This looked like a scar that had been there for a good while. Marco ran his finger over it. "Does it hurt?"

Thatch shook his head. "I don't feel anything. A few seconds ago it hurt like a bitch. Does… does this mean me and Ace and Pops can't die?" he asked in a hush. Marco shrugged, not knowing.

"If it heals, then shouldn't your leg have healed?" Marco asked, not knowing what to think. Thatch put his chin in his hand, thinking. He shook his head.

"Maybe only smaller injuries? Like cuts and such? I mean, surely I can't just regrow a limb, you know. I'm not a starfish. And I'm not going to attempt cutting off a finger just to see!" Thatch exclaimed. Marco scoffed, though he felt complete relief in his heart. This could mean that his cherished loved ones might be harder to kill. After all, all of their wounds had healed, and Thatch's cut just healed in real time, in seconds.

Thatch looked at his leg, which was hidden by his pants, and whined, "I want my leg back." Marco felt for him. He couldn't imagine losing a limb, or any part of it. Luckily Thatch still had all of his upper leg. It could have been much worse, but saying that to him would be insensitive. He pat his shoulder.

"At least it's a quality prosthetic. We can repay them for helping you by taking that island back under our protection. We'll tell everyone about the healing in the morning. I'm going to bed, Ace is probably waiting for me to come," he said yawning. "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Nighty night, Mr. Love bird," Thatch teased. Marco didn't say it aloud, but that was the only bird joke he was okay with because it was true. He shook his head at the thought, thinking himself silly. Ace would think it was funny, too.

He entered, and saw Ace was awake and lying on his side, shirtless only because he couldn't see it and Marco never mentioned the burn scar. "Hi, babe," he said sleepily, sitting up when Marco undressed into just boxers and laid down next to him. Ace put his head on Marco's chest, but didn't fall asleep. And usually, when Marco goes into bed and Ace wasn't sleeping, he fell asleep almost immediately. Unless he was having a breakdown, which was now far and few in inbetween.

"You okay?" Marco asked quietly. "Something bothering you?" Ace nodded, cheek rubbing against Marco's skin. "Want to talk about it?"

Ace sighed, but did talk. "How badly did you lose? Against Teach in the Payback war?" he asked quietly, sadly. Marco worried he was starting to feel they couldn't win. Marco had complete faith in him and his fellow commanders, along with his healthy captain. But he was honest, like he always strived to be with Ace.

"Very badly. Nobody was killed, but we weren't even close to any sort of victory," he said truthfully. "But we were emotionally crippled then. Grieving over Pops and it made us reckless. Plus, Teach had the tremor-tremor fruit. And he used it viciously. Pops was more refined while Teach was just total and careless destruction." He put his hand on Ace's head. "Are you feeling worried?"

"Yeah. I believe in our skill, and our strength. I just don't know what to expect. I had that fight with Teach that I lost, but that was just me. There weren't any of my family fighting alongside me to be worried about. His victory over me didn't directly hurt anyone at the time. I want to kill Teach for all he's done, but I can't help but worry. Maybe we're underestimating him," Ace said, a twinge of worry in his voice. "I don't want anyone to die again."

Marco kissed his head, and said, "I know. I don't either. But I believe in us. Teach obviously does too, which is why he's fleeing like a coward. And if your enemy thinks he's going to lose, he probably will. If we believe we were going to win, and are smart about it, then we will," he assured Ace in a quiet voice.

"I thought I was going to win, and I lost," the younger mumbled.

"That was different. None of us knew a thing about his powers. Even at Marineford, no one knew how he used the dark-dark fruit. He just spilled everything out to us, like he did to you, too. So, we are prepared and know everything we need to to secure a victory, even if it may be a slight one," Marco assured. "Don't worry, we can do it. With Pops there, we can fight any enemy."

Ace nodded, and mumbled that he couldn't help but be worried. He didn't want to lose anyone. "What if Pops dies again? All this work to rebuild the family will go up in flames."

Marco turned Ace's head up to look at him. "Pops only died last time because he was already on his deathbed and did not know how Teach's powers worked. Ace, he was in terrible shape. Hundred of gun wounds, sword wounds, multiple magma fists to the chest, and his accumulating bad health. All of those factors are gone," the older insisted. "I believe in all of us. With all my heart, I believe we will win."

Ace smiled at him and nodded, and Marco hoped he'd gotten through to him. It seemed he did, since his partner fell asleep, and Marco followed afterwards.

In the morning, at the commanders' table, Thatch brought up the night before. "So, something weird happened last night," he started, and then held his hand up. Across his palm was a long, pink line. "I cut myself and it healed over in a second. I think there's some sort of side effect of coming back from the dead. I haven't tried it again, but I just wanted to bring it up."

Ace swallowed a huge piece of toast and said, "But Marco was able to give me bruises while sparring." Those at the table were confused. Some looked happy, that it was possible that wounds wouldn't hurt them, but others were just very confused.

Izo pointed out the fact Thatch had lost a leg. It didn't heal. Thatch looked down and nodded. "That's true, so I was thinking that it was possibly only superficial wounds. But there are Ace's bruises. It's confusing and weird." The other commanders agreed. Marco saw Ace looking at his knife, holding it up. He hadn't gotten good enough at haki to cover other objects with it, so Marco wasn't worried that he'd cut himself. And he was right. Instead, Ace covered his fingers in haki and dug them into his arm, drawing blood.

"Ace!" Marco shouted, bringing attention to it. "Why would you do that?" But Ace didn't respond as they all watched the wound close up, leaving a jagged, crescent-moon shaped scar. Marco looked to Pops, and said, "Don't you dare try it!" but the captain grinned cheekily at him, and dug his own knife into his arm.

"What is wrong with you guys?! Stop injuring yourselves!" Haruta shouted as they all watched the small cut close up, like a zipper would close a bag. Whitebeard grinned and laughed.

He went back to his eating and then said, "Well, now you can all worry about me less. I wouldn't die of blood loss ever." Ace and Thatch started laughing.

"We death-buddies can heal like Marco!" Thatch announced, and Ace cheered, throwing his fists up. Whitebeard laughed, and asked them if he was allowed to be a death-buddy, too. The conversation was ridiculous, but everyone was happy, even if Marco was angry at them purposely hurting themselves.

Thatch said, "You're welcome to our death-buddy club. But you aren't the leader, Ace and I are co-captains. We're the founders, you can't take our position." Whitebeard laughed happily, and accepted those terms. Laughter rang across the able, the carefree atmosphere settling over them like a warm blanket on a cold night.

Marco shook his head in fondness and amusement. But Pops was right. He worried much less now. Ace had used haki on himself. Showing that a haki wound wouldn't seriously injure him. But he was confused about the fact that Ace had bruised multiple times since he came back to life. Well, he was just happy getting cuts wouldn't matter.

But, their bodies were not indestructible since Thatch lost a leg. They ate their food, laughing and smiling, and Marco didn't think he'd ever been more content to just watch his family be happy. He wished they had been happy under him, but knowing why those who didn't come back had left had helped him believe it wasn't all his fault. Pops' shoes were impossible to fill.

Ace would make a joke about the size of the captain's feet, and he smiled just at the thought of the joke. He leaned over and kissed Ace's head with a grin. "What was that for?" Ace asked curiously.

"Just love you," Marco said, and Ace blushed, though he grinned. He didn't say he loved Marco back, but he knew he did by the embarrassed but happy smile. Thatch did his best to capitalize on it.

"Hey, everyone. I have a new bird joke. 'Love bird'. And Ace is Marco's mate," the chef announced. Marco groaned. It had been a long time since he'd heard any bird jokes like that. He made it seem like he was annoyed, but it made him happy.

He sighed and said, "Well, I like that one more than 'bird brain'." Ace grinned.

Haruta then announced, "Well damn. Now we can't use love bird we _have_ to use bird brain. What's the point in name calling if they like it?" He sounded like a child. It was ridiculous, and Marco gently shoved Ace's arm when he laughed at it.

Pops just sat back, watching them all so happy. Marco could understand the feeling. Content with things being how they were. Marco didn't worry that any of his brothers or family would die in the coming battle with Teach. He had complete faith in them and they had it in themselves. Though, Pops had long since told them that death could always be around the corner, and if you're not ready to face it with confidence, then you can't be a pirate.

It had been important to Marco in his early days, when he was a young apprentice. Most of the Whitebeard pirates did not fear death. They lived for the thrill and adventure. Most who ended up dying accepted it. They might not smile like Ace did when he passed - _don't think about that -_ but they faced death content with their lives.

Seeing Teach's reaction to Pops standing over him, about to kill him, showed how different Teach was from them. And based on Roger's words, Teach was not a 'D'. Roger had actually sounded genuinely offended that Teach named himself a 'D'.

Marco couldn't wait to see that sniveling weasel see Pops in all his glory, terrifying and intimidating beyond comparison to any other pirate on the sea. Couldn't wait to hear his shouts of "wait! I'm sorry!" and then the sound of his screams of pain. He derailed Marco's family and life. And he deserved to be wracked with fear.

Their plan would work as long as they ended up on an island to fight. Ace's powers would be a huge help in their planned strategy. He had already shown long ago he could pull it off. He would be instrumental in all of their victories.

When they were out on deck, taking a break from training to joke around or eat snacks that Thatch's division cooked, Pops stood up suddenly and looked to the distance. Marco saw it and stood up, walking to Whitebeard from Ace. He was about to ask what the problem was when he felt it, too. Something was under the water coming towards them, and it wasn't a sea king.

It sidled up to The Whale and a hook came out and latched onto the railing. Marco was about to break it off when the submarine surfaced but stopped when the hatch opened to show the revolutionary Sabo.


	13. Everything Is Better

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: I don't usually have cliffhangers, but when there's one for a possibility, you know I'm gonna do it!**

**Iris Viggiano: While it's not long, the battle with Teach I think will be satisfying. I'm not good at long fight scenes much. Hope it doesn't disappoint!**

**Jennifer_Rod: <3 You may cry, who knows..?**

**Ariel_Lazarus: Next chapter is the one with Teach! Look forward to it!**

**Starlieyed: lol, I had to! It was the perfect opportunity!**

**GoddessOfFanfiction & Giglio_nero: You shall soon find out! **

**Samster7421: I could totally see Ace punching Sabo in cannon, if he ever came back alive. Luffy was a sobbing mess and Ace would just cuss Sabo out or something. And Whitebeard would definitely try and get Sabo to stay with them (if he was alive as well).**

**ThanhPhan: Hope it doesn't disappoint!**

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**Sorry that this and the next chapter are a lot shorter. Next one is the last! I'm so sad, I wish this fic had ended up being longer. And about the one-shot of Ace meeting Luffy again... things just got pretty complicated, and the manga readers know what I mean. I have no idea how to do the one shot anytime soon. No spoilers for others in the comments. But I'm so happy about it! That's all I'll say. Enjoy~**

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"Ace? Someone is here to visit you," Marco said brightly. Ace got up, having no idea who it would be, until he walked over and found Marco helping Sabo out of the sub and onto the deck. Ace's eyes widened at seeing his long lost brother. He looked the same as he did before, only older and his hair longer. Plus the scar on his eye.

Even his clothes were similar to how they were, only they were in good condition. He even had a pipe strapped to his back. The tophat was there, of course. Ace walked forward and then the deck was silent.

"Ace-" Sabo began, but he flew across the deck from a punch to his face. The crew who had no idea who this was were confused. Sabo got up, eyes watering in pain, but a smile on his face. Ace ran forward and hugged him tightly, and soon both of them were crying, having thought each other were dead.

Pops asked for everyone to clear that part of the deck and to give them privacy, and Ace was thankful for it. Sabo looked at the tattoo on Ace's shoulder and touched it with his gloved hands. He really was dressed like a gentleman.

"Yeah, I thought you were dead, so I got a tribute," Ace said almost bristly. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked, weakly. "Why did you go to see Luffy and not me? I know I was an ass and everything, but I just don't understand why." His voice was broken, full of pain of feeling unwanted. Hearing about Sabo had been both wonderful and terrible.

"No, no, Ace. It isn't like that. I had amnesia. It sounds stupid but it's the truth. I did get hurt by the Celestial Dragon that day. That's where I got the burns," he said and pulled his left glove off to show a badly burned hand. "I didn't remember who I was or any of my family. Luffy's dad, Dragon, found me and saved me. I knew, even after forgetting, that I wanted nothing to do with the island. I knew that it was full of people I hated, but I didn't remember you guys.

"I'm so sorry, Ace! I only remembered when I saw your death in the newspaper. I forgot you, and I lost my chance to ever see you again," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I missed you so much after you died. I felt so worthless. What if I had come to save you? And given Luffy a hand? I'm a terrible brother," he sobbed. Ace was crying, too.

"Well, I stole my fruit back, so that's your punishment," Ace said in a wobbly voice. Sabo gave out a broken laugh and hugged Ace again. He sniffled and then asked, "How is Lu? I heard you met up with him in Dressrosa." And he was jealous of both of his brothers, getting to see one another while he was dead. But he didn't feel anger about them living and him dying.

Sabo grinned brightly and wiped his own tears. "He's so strong, Ace. I first saw him fighting in a colosseum and he charmed the whole audience, even with the fake beard and sunglasses. He tamed the fighting bull, named it Moocy and rode it around the arena, taking out people while laughing," Sabo explained, and both of them were laughing at it. "He was fighting to get your fruit, you know? He didn't want anyone else having it." Ace smiled fondly, appreciating Luffy's sentiment. Looked like he was still a silly idiot. _Of course_ he would tame the bull and make friends with it.

"Did he give it to you?" Ace asked, not seeing another way of Sabo getting it. But his younger brother shook his head.

"No. He had things to do so I took his place and fought with him. Did you hear he teamed up with Trafalgar Law? That was the guy who saved him from the war. The Heart pirates sailed into the battlefield and rescued Luffy and Jinbei," Sabo explained.

Ace frowned, feeling suspicious of this Law. Why did he save Luffy? But he was glad he did, of course. He didn't know what had happened to Luffy after he died in his arms. How traumatizing that had to be for him. He felt crushing guilt for putting him through that. But he shook the thought away.

"He yelled at me at first. He didn't recognize me, of course. I was supposed to have died 12 years ago. When I told him who I was, he turned back into our crybaby brother. He thought I would hate him because he let you get killed right in front of him," Sabo said sadly, looking at the deck with regret.

Ace bit his lip. "It wasn't his fault I died. You always told me standing my ground and not running wasn't the best tactic. It was stupid, and that stupidity got me killed," Ace said bitterly. Sabo put his hand on Ace's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile.

"You're alive now. Don't waste it." Ace pushed him and said _he_ didn't need to tell him that. Sabo grinned and he and Ace climbed up the ratlines to the crowsnest to talk in private. They caught up with each other, the years they'd missed out on. Ace told him all about his life before he died and after. Sabo was pissed Ace let Luffy get slashed by the bear king. Ace had winced and apologized.

After catching up on their lives, Ace told his brother about their mission to off Teach. Sabo didn't believe for a minute that any of them would die just by knowing how Teach had behaved in the last months since the mass resurrection.

"So, what's your next mission? And are you gonna be okay without my fruit?" Ace asked after they'd talk about anything and everything else. Sabo looked nervous about saying anything, but decided to.

"You can't tell anyone what I'm gonna tell you, okay?" he asked in a hush. Ace nodded and promised, looking over the side of the crowsnest to see no one was listening in on their conversation. Many of the commanders were back to practicing and sparing. "I'm gonna be breaking into Mary Geoise to save one of our men being used as a slave to the world nobles. I'm actually heading that way, but 'coincidentally' met your crew."

Ace chuckled. "So you defied orders to come see me?" he asked with a grin. Sabo winked and said, "Something like that." Ace invited him to have dinner with them, but he said that he was on a mission and had already gone off course to find Ace.

When he stood up to get down, Ace hugged him tightly. "You've changed so much, Ace. I barely recognize you from before." Ace blushed and blamed Luffy for making him a better person. "Yeah, Luffy charms everyone, doesn't he? Like the 'Strawhat Grand Fleet'. Did you hear about that yet?" Ace shook his head. Sabo chuckled. "Luffy is too likable for his own good. After he defeated Doflamingo with the help of Trafalgar Law, all of the people he fought along side with swore fealty to him!"

Sabo burst into laughter, describing the ship he'd seen that was modeled after Luffy. Ace couldn't help but laugh as well. Then Ace shared that Boa Hancock fallen in love with him and helped him break into Impel Down. "No way. Seriously?" Ace nodded. "Ah, poor woman. That's a battle anyone is going to lose. But man, what a guy Luffy's become. I can't wait for you to see him again. You'll have to write to me once you meet up."

Ace nodded. "I will, I promise. My whole crew is rooting for him to be the next pirate king. Roger agrees." Ace had told him all about his biological parents, and Sabo had understandably been shocked. "Be safe, Sabo. And look for us in the paper soon. We'll rid the world of Teach soon enough."

Sabo smiled. "I missed you."

"Missed you, too. Now, don't be a stranger and don't you get killed up there," Ace said sternly. Sabo smiled and they hugged one more time before he climbed down. Ace watched him with soft eyes as he bowed and thanked Whitebeard for everything he's done for his brother.

The captain laughed. "No problem, brat. It's been my pleasure. I must say, you are much more polite than Ace and Luffy are. That kid shouted at me. But he's a D, what should I expect?" Sabo beamed and laughed. Ace frowned softly when Sabo climbed back into the sub, and gave one last smile to Ace before closing the hatch and swimming away.

Ace sat in the crowsnest, looking at his boots. Everything was better. Pops was alive and healthy, Thatch was still in the world, Marco still loved him, much of the crew had come back together, Ace met his mother and no longer hated Roger, Sabo was _alive_ and so was Luffy. Now all he had left to check off on his rise-from-the-dead bucket list was kill Teach and then find Luffy. After that, he'd go where fate took him and take every chance to enjoy his second life and harbor no regret.

Marco flew up to the crowsnest and landed next to Ace before sitting beside him. "Happy?" Ace nodded.

"Everything's coming together. Better than before," Ace said. "My family that were dead are alive and well, I didn't end up being the reason Luffy dies, Pops is healthy again, I don't harbor hatred for Roger anymore, I love my mom, you still love me after all this time, and we get to take care of Teach. I'm… I'm _so happy,_ Marco," he explained, tears in his eyes.

Marco put his arm around Ace's shoulders and kissed the tattooed one. "I will always love you, Ace. I loved you even after your death. I'll never love someone else like I love you. I waited for you for forty years until you showed up," he whispered against Ace's warm skin. "And we'll be even happier and go on more adventures after this mission. I promise." Ace nodded with a watery smile.

Ace then told Marco about Sabo and his life now, though he didn't reveal any sensitive information. He'd promised he wouldn't, and he would keep that promise. "You three brothers sure are something else. With your and Luffy's heritage, Sabo is second in command for the revolutionaries. Luffy will be the pirate king and you are one of the strongest on the strongest man's crew. Fate had and still has great things for you three."

"You sound like an old man, talking about fate," Ace joked.

"If I'm an old man, then you're a child," he countered, but Ace had set up for that.

"If I'm a child, then you're a pedophile." Marco smacked his arm with a disapproving frown. "What, you're a pirate." Marco smacked him again. "You know I'm kidding," Ace said and Marco sighed. He tucked a strand of hair behind Ace's ear.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me."

"I already do and always will."


	14. Finally, Justice Served

**Arok: Thank you!**

**OtakuPie: They all deserve to be happy.**

**ThanhPhan: The one shot might take awhile to come out, so you'll have to be patient lol.**

**Ariel_Lazarus: I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.**

**Hiddlesthug: <3 <3 <3 **

**Iris Viggiano: I'm really sad it's over, too. :( Thanks for following and leaving comments, though!**

**Sixcupsofcoffeetogo: I'm glad.**

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**Here we are, at the last chapter. :( I'm sad it's over. And I hope this chapter isn't disappointing because I'm not the best at writing fight scenes. Thanks for everyone who followed it and left comments, and I'm glad you liked it. Some of my current stories are getting close to finishing, so I have to finish writing more! Anyways, enjoy~**

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"Pops, Teach stopped running," Marco said, holding the newspaper up. Whitebeard raised his eyebrows in surprise. They all expected Teach to keep running and then run out of islands to hide on before they caught him. Marco handed the captain the paper. Marco had already read it, and pirates started to gather around. It was times like this where they really learned that they had lost a sizable amount of the crew because more fit out on deck.

Whitebeard read it aloud to everyone, the commanders in the crowd as well. "'Three days ago, the yonko Blackbeard stopped on an island that had once been under Whitebeard protection, but was taken over by Blackbeard after the formerly-deceased Whitebeard had risen, just like millions of others. The Whitebeards left a message two weeks ago by decimating Blackbeard's base island, leaving a flag there.

"'Since then, Blackbeard has been on the run, until three days ago when the yonko made his own statement. He ravaged an island and it's people that the Whitebeards had long protected. Everyone on that island is now dead, men, women and children. It is clearly a challenge for the Whitebeards. Will this be another Marineford, where the world is in risk of being destroyed?'"

Marco gave a reassuring smile to Pops. "It's not Sphinx," he said. The moment he read that Teach had destroyed an island, his heart began to beat against his ribcage. But the island was not Sphinx. As much as he was saddened and upset that so many people they knew had died, _it wasn't Sphinx._

"Well, we have a place to fight now," Jozu said, trying to find something positive in the situation. "Namur, how far from there are we?"

Namur was a navigator, and he knew the path they were taking, which turned out to be the one Teach had chosen. "Two and a half weeks away. We still have a while till we reach there. Hopefully, he will stay there. I wonder what made him stop running. He's a coward at heart," the fishman sneered.

Whitebeard frowned. "It is unfortunate that all those people were killed. We will avenge them and finally take out the cowardly traitor. Our mission will be here soon, and we will win!" The crew cheered in agreement.

The plan they had in place would work. It was outside of the box, and Teach wouldn't expect it. And he wouldn't be able to nullify Ace's important flames because he'd be distracted with a determined _true_ yonko. They were going to strip Teach of that title and show that no one messes with the Whitebeard pirates and gets away with it.

The commanders got back to training. The Whale was not made of Adam's wood, but it held up well with the fighting taking place on deck. It really was fortunate that they got this ship. One more thing to make everything right again. Then, they were back in action and would adventure once more.

Ace had become proficient at armament and observation haki by his pure determination. He really was a good fighter, and Marco was impressed, though not one bit surprised. He had always been fast in learning new skills. Not so much common sense, like when he thought he could get them to let him go after abducting him. Never.

They sailed even more impatiently than before. The whole way there, there was nothing new in the paper about Teach or his allies. Though they had very little allies to call for help from. Even if Teach had his allies, the pirates still outnumbered them and those who weren't commanders would take care of the allied pirates.

Marco could see Ace get more nervous as the days passed. And he was the only one. The other commanders had confidence in their chances of winning. Ace was terrified of losing, and Marco knew that was a bad mindset. So he brought his lover to Pops' room late one night. When they entered he was sitting on his bed.

"Sons, what can I do for you?" Whitebeard asked. Ace looked uncomfortable, so Marco said it.

"Ace is having anxiety over the battle. He's worried we'll lose," Marco explained simply. Ace's cheeks turned pink, and Whitebeard pat his bed for both of them to sit. His bed was massive, so there was plenty of space for all three of them to sit.

Pops took a breath, and then said, "I understand why you are nervous, son. You had a big defeat from him, and learned he killed me. You are afraid of his strength. If you had seen him at Marineford, and how he reacted to me, you would see that he has little confidence in a fight against me. He was cocky, but when it was clear I was still able to hurt him, he was terrified. I mostly died from Akainu and then the barrage of attacks from his crewmembers.

"We know his power now, when neither of us knew it last time. Teach is afraid of death. When I approach him, my figure is death to him. I have confidence in our more experienced fighters. After all, some of our commanders have been pirates for thirty to forty years. We have a lot of experience. Do not be afraid. But don't be cocky.

"I have faith in all of you and myself to right the wrongs," Pops finished emphatically. Ace looked ashamed, and Marco put his hand on Ace's back.

"What if we lose someone? What if one of the bad matchups can't do it?" Ace asked in worry. Pops frowned.

He turned to Marco and asked, "Son, how many people died in the Payback war?" Marco thought for a moment. None of the commanders had died, though Namut got a nasty wound from the woman on the Blackbeard crew. But none of the commanders died.

He answered, "Only four of our lower ranking men and no commanders." Ace looked slightly better at that, but not fully.

Whitebeard turned back to the youngest and said, "So, if they didn't die then, will they die when I'm there? When I'm their inspiration and motivation? And they have two more commanders with them." Ace nodded. Marco kissed his head.

"Why don't you go to bed? It's getting late and we'll be nearing the island in two days. Get lots of sleep, my sons," he said, and wished them goodnight. Marco walked with Ace back to their room a few doors away. Ace undressed and laid in bed, where Marco curled around him, being the big spoon like usual.

He kissed the nape of Ace's neck. "It'll be over soon, and things will be how they were before," he whispered. "Now, sleep." Ace nodded and drifted to sleep, safe in Marco's embrace.

The day they were to fight Teach, the commanders slept almost all of it, and then ate tons of healthy food in preparation for however long the fights would last. They had the plan in detail in their minds, their strategy should work well. It was well thought out and everyone knew Ace could do it.

The Whitebeards all looked forward to this so much. It was their dream come true to have Pops and Ace and Teach back to kill Teach. It wouldn't be long before they were _officially_ a yonko crew again. They would take their rightful place that Teach had stolen. They did grow restless, and itched to battle a real enemy and go all out instead of pulling their punches against one another.

When they reached the island, named Kotatsuno island, which was now devoid of any people, the main ship stayed far out while Moby 2, which had been sailing behind them, brought the commanders and captain to the shore, where they stepped off. The Blackbeard pirates were standing in an open area, glaring or grinning sadistically at the commanders and captaIn.

While the other members looked fine with fighting, it was their captain that looked the most frightened, eyes not leaving Pops. "Now, Ace," Whitebeard said. Ace raised his hands above him and formed a thick and high fire wall around the clearing. Now they were all trapped inside. Ace was able to control his flames to what he wanted to burn. He did not want vegetation or his crew to burn. Only the Blackbeards and Teach. It really was handy, and something Marco was glad he'd practiced it so long. Teach looked surprised, but went to smother the flames with his powers before Pops smashed a hand into the air, knocking Teach off of his feet to land on his butt. He glared at Pops, but Marco saw his face look at the man, and the fear was back.

Pops was in front of the sun, so he looked like a terrifying silhouette. "Kill them!" he shouted, and the commanders ran forward before their enemies did. Marco saw Ace run to his opponent, Jesus Burgess, while his brothers went to their own designated enemy. Ace lifted his arms again and smaller rings of fire formed around each fight. The commanders would be safe in the flames.

Marco wished he could see the whole fight against Teach, but soon he heard shouts and screams and the sound of the air cracking and splitting apart. As Marco battled Shiryu, he heard Pops say, "Everything you have worked for has been erased. I am alive, my power is back, Ace and Thatch are back, your status and crew will be destroyed and then you will die."

When his opponent turned invisible, Marco focused fully on his battle. The man was not hard to catch with his invisibility, but he did have his sword covered in haki. Marco flew up and was able to dodge, using his talon to grab at the former warden. He was sadistic, and smiled the whole way. Which wasn't exactly strange for a pirate.

It was strange, however, that he smiled when Marco scratched out an eye. His devil fruit was useless against Marco, who had advanced haki and enhanced senses. The sword got him, slashing deep into his chest and spraying blood. If he were a logia, he would have been much more hurt. But the second the sword was no longer touching him, the gash healed, leaving no impression of the deep cut.

Shiryu cursed at Marco's ability. It really was the best there was in Marco's opinion. He wasn't one to speak while he fought, staying focused only on killing him. Marco was at an advantage, and was nearest to Pops for this reason. He could hover and not get tripped up by the tremors from Pops using his power. It was working, so his plan on not touching Teach was working.

The moment Shiryu stumbed from the cracks under his feet, Marco took the advantage and clasped the sword and shattered it into three pieces. His sword was useless now. So the man resorted to using fists covered in haki, but he was clearly not well trained in hand to hand. Marco was winning, not that he really expected anything different.

A few punches got in, but Marco finally slashed his talons across his throat, spraying blood. It splattered against his chest. When Shiryu was still standing, Marco latched his left talon onto his head and squeezed hard enough to have part's of his head cave in. Marco dropped down, looking at the dead former-jailer.

He won his fight in fifteen minutes. All of his brothers were still fighting, though he could now look around at them from above. The one having the most trouble was the group against the massive one. Marco didn't interfere with any of the fights, trusting his brothers to do well. So he flew overhead to watch Pops' battle.

Teach was bloody in almost every place. The major flaw of his fruit was that physical attacks still hurt him, so Whitebeard's bisento was the perfect weapon. It was at a distance so Teach couldn't grab the captain and take his power away.

Slash after slash was made, and Teach continuously tried to suck Pops into his darkness, but every time, he made a tremor which would knock the losing yonko around, making him no longer use the black matter.

Teach was very angry, but fear was on his face. He had many very deep wounds. Even someone with a body like his could not take a haki covered blade so big like that. Pops never used his power directly against Teach, knowing from experience that it would be useless. However, he was able to use it just close enough that it would throw Teach off but not touch him.

If he were in Teach's shoes, he'd be terrified, too. The older yonko had a cold, dangerous look on. He was silent as he fought, while Teach started begging to not be killed, that he was Pops' son. It made Marco sick that he'd say such a thing. But Pops did not get emotional or fall for it.

"You are not my son. You are a disgusting traitor, and will be dead in a few moments." Marco turned to look at his brothers, and many of them had defeated their opponent by teamwork. Haruta and Thatch were dancing in circles as their enemy's body burned in Ace's fire. The big one, Sanjuan Wolf was blinded. The pirates had destroyed both of his eyes, and he fell back in the water, finally, making a huge splash that did not douse Ace's flames. He could no longer stand from the affect of water all around him and not just around his legs, and sunk into the ocean due to having a devil fruit.

Vista's opponent was gone as well, and Marco wished he could have watched all of them fight. He looked back to Ace, who had a few bruises, but was mostly unharmed. He had a grin on, an evil one though Marco knew he was just having fun.

Everytime Burgess tried to use a shockwave, it would bypass Ace when he turned into flames. He had his fists covered in armament haki, giving Burgess rapid punches that had him spit out blood. He had huge parts of his body burned badly. Third degree burns that would scar forever if he wasn't going to die.

His clothes were burned away, too. Not completely, but his outfit was ruined. Ace finally won, thirty minutes after starting, and burned all of Burgess's face and head. It was disgusting, and Ace kicked him into the flames for his whole body to burn.

Those who were not matched up well seemed to be doing okay, though Jiru had multiple bullet wounds in his arms. He continued to fight though, and won eventually.

Marco was not the only one in the air, but Izo was holding his sniper, and shooting at Laffitte, who was flying above him, occasionally trying to get close only for Izo to smoothly switch to his pistol and shoot him in a shorter distance.

Finally, the 16th division commander shot just to the side of where the winged man was, predicting his move based on what he'd observed. The bullet went through Laffitte's neck. It caused blood to pour down his front, as his wings reformed into arms and he fell, hitting the ground hard as he bled out. Izo didn't wait for him to die, and tossed him into the flames surrounding him.

Once everyone had won their fight, Marco told Ace he could bring down the flames. All that was left were ashes, blowing away in the wind so they wouldn't be resurrected in case it happened again. All that was left was Teach, who saw the state of his crew, and screamed. He was bleeding out, a puddle of blood soaking around him. Even he couldn't handle blood loss like that. He had a wound that went through his back, clearly all the way through his body.

He was trying to crawl away, and was dying quickly. "Thatch, Ace. Come have your revenge," Whitebeard said darkly. The blade of his bisento was covered in blood. The blood was smearing across the ground as Teach did his best to flee for the last time.

Thatch and Ace stomped over and Ace controlled his burns to lick the inside of Teach's wound, just like what had happened to him years ago. Teach screamed in agony, and Thatch cut off each of his limbs. It was clearly torture, which the Whitebeards usually didn't resort to. But this man deserved it. It was karma for all he had done, and it was damn satisfying.

Whitebeard finally sliced Teach's head off, and their hell was over and misery avenged for good. Ace burned the body for good measure and they put his head on a spike. The pirates cheered, and they heard all the others on The Whale were cheering as well. The commanders, many of them, were tired from the fights, but they had won. All themselves, they didn't need any outside help.

The commanders stared at Teach's body in hateful glee. He was dead, he had paid the price for his sins. And it was the most satisfying death any of them could have asked for. Ace burned into the ground the mark of their jolly roger next to his head on a spike. The world would soon find out what they'd done. And the status would be given back to Pops.

It would be nice if all of the commanders got bounties or in the case of those who already had them, they were raised. Leaving battlefield and Teach's head behind, the commanders happily set out back to the main ship, Marco's arm securely around Ace's waist.

"Told you we'd win," Marco whispered in his ear.

"Yeah. You did," Ace said in a happy voice, relieved that no one had died. "I'm glad my fire helped so much." Marco nodded. It really was their trump card, to trap each mini battle and the winners (the Whitebeards) had been able to use it to dispose of the bodies.

A weight was lifted off of everyone's shoulders, and of course they had the biggest party in many years.

-x-

After the incident, when the marines learned of what had happened, each commander got a bounty, and Ace's raised to 900,000,000, while Marco's rose to over a billion. Pops' was raised another billion. They were all so proud. The status was immediately given back to Pops. He was now a yonko again, and claimed every island Teach had stolen. They would attempt to take back Fishman Island once things settled down more.

Ace still hadn't seen Luffy, still on his adventure. He had no doubt that Luffy and his crew would set out to find Ace. He wanted to apologize to Luffy and give him a big hug.

Three months after the battle with Teach, Marco was acting funny, and Ace was worried something was wrong. It was after they'd stopped on an island to restock, which was more expensive now that the world was struggling with overpopulation and not enough resources. But they still got the supplies. After all, they also looted every marine base or pirate ship they came across.

When Marco and Ace were to go to bed, Marco looked incredibly nervous. "Are you okay?" Ace asked in concern, finally. Marco nodded.

"Ace? Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?" Marco asked. Ace frowned.

"Of course I do. Did you think I don't want to?" he asked, almost offended. But Marco shook his head, a soft smile on his face. He took a deep breath and _got on one knee._ Ace's heart was beating painfully fast as his brain told him this wasn't actually happening. There was no way. But then Marco took out a little box and opened it to find a band ring that had blue and red stones on it. It must have been very expensive.

"I know we're pirates, but will you marry me?" Marco asked, voice shaking. Ace didn't respond for a moment. He wanted to say yes, but didn't want Marco to end up taking it back. But, if he was proposing, then he truly wanted to be with Ace forever.

The longer he was silent the more terrified Marco looked. "Y-Yes," Ace whispered, and Marco wore the biggest and brightest grin Ace had ever seen. It even beat Luffy's, which he thought was an impossible feat. Ace's partner - fiance - slid the ring on his finger, and it fit perfectly.

"I measured your finger in your sleep a couple weeks ago," Marco said, and Ace laughed. "I love you so much, Ace. I'm so happy you came back to me."

Ace smiled warmly. "I love you, too. Does this mean we get to live happily ever after?" he joked. Marco stood and hugged him.

"We're pirates, silly. If we want to do that, we're free to sail forever. No regrets, right?" Marco asked, probably remembering what Ace had said on his deathbed.

"No regrets," he replied.

* * *

-x- Epilogue -x-

"So, he's dead? Any show that his doing is ending?"

"No, there are no known recorded re-deaths. Looks like it's permanent." They five elders stood around the body of the man had had caused them so much trouble and annoyance for the past year and a half.

"We have to find this devil fruit. If we don't, this could happen again someday under another user. Do we know his motivation? Why hasn't he done this before? He had the fruit for many years."

"Apparently it was to spite the marines. They arrested his son, who died in Impel Down, and so he got back at the world by causing chaos. It's partially due to the marines that this happened."

"Find that fruit. We will not have this happen again."

* * *

**Regarding the Luffy one-shot. I'm not sure when it will come out, since Wano is making things tricky for me after the last couple of chapters. I'm not gonna say much about it cause I don't want to spoil it, but I just don't know what to do about it. Those who read the manga I'm sure will know what the problem is for me. I'm sorry if it doesn't come out soon since I know everyone wants to see Luffy meet Ace. I just don't want to fuck things over. It might be stupid I wanted to follow the canon time line. I did with Sabo going to the levely (revely) and I want to do the same regarding Luffy. So, please be patient. Anyways, thanks again for reading!**


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